This outline follows the real-world process of making music from a starting point where only ideas exist up to the point of releasing and promoting a finished product. This is an endeavor I've undertaken repeatedly in vastly different settings, with varied approaches and outcomes over the last 25 years. Some pieces in this process have been tied to day jobs I’ve held, but more importantly, the whole process is a practice, a ritual, and an obsession that has been my driving purpose and can be tied into most things I've done in my life, including seemingly unrelated endeavors.
The process of writing, recording, releasing, and promoting music:
- Writing music
- Communicating with different individuals speaking various musical languages
- An iterative process of improvising and refining
- The importance of rhythm
- Abstract thinking
- Meaning in music
- Exploring alternative music making techniques
- Recording music
- Project planning and management
- Studio sound vs live sound
- Pre-production
- Editing
- Mixing
- Releasing music
- Strategy
- Artwork
- Distribution
- Physical media
- Promoting music and business
- Live performance and touring
- A website
- Social media
- A narrative surrounding the music
- Types of currency
