Here at Burn My Records, we have a long history with and deep sympathy for the struggling artist. It can be really hard to know who to talk to, who to trust, and what you need to be looking for when trying to make contacts while putting yourself out there.
That’s why we’ve created this educational blog, aimed at helping artists decide the values that they should be on the lookout for when trying to find a record company to connect with. Whether you are trying to get your demo mastered, or just trying to find a studio to record in, it’s important to find people that connect with you in a way you relate to.
Cooperation Over Competition
One of the values most important to our kaupapa is the value of cooperation over competition. This means that we conduct ourselves with integrity, kindness, and have a focus on putting our artists first. We know how much of your soul you have poured into your music, and we will always treat both you and your work with respect.
Whichever recording studio you decide to talk to, making sure that they have this personable approach can be a really strong way of helping to get past any initial struggles in understanding that can happen with artistic visions.
For example, if you are trying to get across a particular sound that you want on a track, it can be difficult to do without hearing it in your mind first. Since telepathy is still to be invented, having this cooperative point of view built into the kaupapa of the business can help to keep tensions down, and keep the artistic vision flowing between both you and the studio team.
Being personable and affable is something the team at Burn My Records has down to a science, with all members of the team excited to get to know you and help you along on your journey as you create.
Mana Over Money
Another essential value for our kaupapa is the value “mana over money”. For us this means advocating for our artists, while also taking pride in our work and paying close attention to any minute details that you request of us.
Putting the work in and paying attention to detail is an essential quality in an audio recording studio, and one you should definitely be on the lookout for with anyone you choose to work with.
That being said, there is a difference between paying attention to small details, and micro-managing your sound, and that tiny difference can be a fine line between having a great relationship with your creative post production team, and a poor one.
While you should always take a note of any suggestions the production team have, make sure to stand up for any true decisions on your sound that you feel you can’t compromise on, and if you feel like your team doesn’t have your back in those scenarios, it might be time to find a new team to work with.
Here at Burn My Records, we will always take the time to go over any and all changes we feel necessary to make, and ensure that you have the final say on whatever product you need created. We love having a discussion around a piece, so come and have your say, and trust that your opinion will always be respected by us. We will never release anything you are unhappy with, as your artistic vision and integrity is the most important thing to us.
Create to Relate
The final piece of our kaupapa is “create to relate”, which we use to signify all the work we have done in the combined 35 years of industry knowledge we have accumulated as a team. Working together, we have an astonishing breadth of the music industry, from songwriting and sound design, all the way to production and releasing the final product.
Having industry experience is another excellent thing to be on the watch for as an artist looking to connect with a studio, but it’s not necessarily the be all and end all. Of course, you need to have confidence that your team knows what they are doing, but having the above traits is much more important (in our opinion) to make sure that you get along with, and have a good experience of your time with a recording studio.
Sometimes, studios with lots of experience can be stuck in their ways, or unwilling to step outside the grounds of what they know. In some cases, this can be really beneficial, like if you are trying to release something that they happen to specialise in. In other cases, it can be unnecessarily limiting, especially if you want to go a bit more avant garde with your sound.
At Burn My Records, create to relate doesn’t just mean that we have industry experience aplenty to help you. It also means that we have the tenacity and the audacity to see even your most experimental of ideas through to the end.
We want to create something that relates to you, and relates to others. In all our work, we have focused on creating and fostering a feeling of connection, and inspiring others to relate to our work. We want to do the same for you.
Burn My Records
If you’ve read all the way through this article, we hope you’ve found what you were looking for out of it! If you’re interested in chatting with us, you can come meet the team at our Wellington studio through our contact form, or book in to consult with us online through AMIO here.
Whether or not you decide to engage our services, remember that these studios should be lining up to talk to you, not the other way around. Believe in yourself and your product, and keep the values of our kaupapa in your mind.
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