Loopy Pro: Create music, your way.
What is Loopy Pro? — Loopy Pro is a powerful, flexible, and intuitive live looper, sampler, clip launcher and DAW for iPhone and iPad. At its core, it allows you to record and layer sounds in real-time to create complex musical arrangements. But it doesn’t stop there—Loopy Pro offers advanced tools to customize your workflow, build dynamic performance setups, and create a seamless connection between instruments, effects, and external gear.
Use it for live looping, sequencing, arranging, mixing, and much more. Whether you're a live performer, a producer, or just experimenting with sound, Loopy Pro helps you take control of your creative process.
Download on the App StoreLoopy Pro is your all-in-one musical toolkit. Try it for free today.
Who Listens to you?
So,
For us DIY'ers, What's your estimated following? Do you sell your music, with hard copies. or digital, or both? Or put it out for free?
What avenues have provided the best outcome/response/exposure for you? I know most of the ios forums/sites out there have a section for posting your creations made with ios apps. I usually don't see very many responses to these kinds/types of posts.
Anyone willing to share their soundcloud site traffic numbers, or BandCamp or ReverbNation? I used to use ReverbNation quite a bit, years ago, but it turned into another MySpace type of place. Mostly just bands/artists becoming fans, to network, and no real fans that would actually buy, or even just download music for free to listen to and spread the word of some great new music they found.
If you sell your music through itunes, or Amazon, or emusic as well, how are you doing in that regard? I sold a few copies of my album through Amazon, and got some Royalites for streaming on internet Radio. Like $25.00 last year. Not enough to continue, with that album.
Those are basically my curiosity questions, below is an experience I had with something I recorded at a home studio with Protools a few years back.
I recorded a mutt/mix album 4 or 5 years ago at a home studio, that was like an Acoustic Rock/Worship style Album. Kinda like my own unique style. It really didn't do very well, and, it wasn't anything special, I'd say Amatuer in Recording/mixing/mastering. In my opinion, I think it was not very listenable because,
A: it wasn't a strict acoustic rock album, like Bryan Adams, or Rick Springfield, or Edwin Mcain.....
B: not radio friendly Worship like Michael W. Smith, or David Crowder, or Chris tomlin. My own Mutt combo style. I thought some good songs, but not one distinct popular style. And a slight raspy voice on some songs. Not typical in Worship music.
At some point i'm going to throw all the .wav files into Auria and re-mix and master it, and re-record some things to provide a different outcome, and see if it changes the likeability.
Comments
My latest experimental Soundcloud account has a small following of spammers, weirdos and sex workers - good people. I've been on there for a couple of years and had about ten different band accounts - as soon as things start getting serious and people actually listen though I panic and close the accounts. I like people listening to my tracks but once I'm aware of it I start playing safe, and the creativity dries up. For me the iOS stuff is a bit of fun.
Saying that though I'm starting to build up a lot of bits and pieces that could be shoved together to form proper music, so maybe that'll evolve into something sensible. I've been thinking about Bandcamp too. It'd be nice to make a few quid and pay for a new pad, and since coming on here my app bill has soared somewhat.....
I can count my true "followers" on one hand.
Growing an audience is all about marketing. I feel my music should speak for itself ...and apparently, it does.
@monzo
I like people listening to my tracks but once I'm aware of it I start playing safe, and the creativity dries up.
Horribly, demonstrably true. Also applies to girls.
Procreativity with girls
On soundcloud: exactly 1 mate from Uni, 2 fellow iOS junkies, 2 click-baits, 1 iOS blog. My most famous tracks (broke 100 listens) are the ones I have posted on the forum here, which I despise doing because soundcloud forces the embed and ultimately crashes Chrome on iPad.
My "iOS live dubstep" video on youtube still gets 70-80 views per month, mostly from direct youtube searches. creeping up towards 6,000 views now, wohoo. I would say that is where the money is if you want to go with it, but... dubstep gives me more of a headache than it did 2 years ago.
I choose to put my stuff on bandcamp for free or name your price. People who can afford and want to will pay but I am just happy to have people bothered enough to hit download. I also have my music with various publishers and make enough from licensing to buy apps and hoping eventually a new ipad . It is all about marketing as the best track you have ever heard can still only get 10 plays if noone knows about it. the most plays I have had on soundcloud (>4000) have been from being featured on music blogs/hypem.
We might as well all link to each other and “follow back” in this thread - I’ll show you mine: https://soundcloud.com/ian-tindale
However, I use my snoudcloud for both music and also an experiment with providing the aural accompaniment to my motivational-speaking blog posts on blogger, so it’s a bit of a jarring mixture if you just listen through - one minute it might be a song, the next, it might be me speaking.
These days - very few people! I strongly suspect that in the early days there was a huge novelty factor so I would get listens and comments/likes based purely on the fact it was Nanostudio on an iPod Touch and it was a much smaller community. Now the music has to stand on it's own, not how it was made. As it should be really - iOS music has grown up.
Across youtube, bandcamp and soundcloud about I've had 6000 listens in total since June 2011 - which isn't bad really as beyond these forums (and other iOS forums - such as the Nanostudio ones) I don't publicise much at all. And as has been said you really have to promote and publicise your music and presence - there is so much really good stuff out there you have to shout about it!
I might have a re-think in 2015 about what I'm doing and how I'm doing it - kind of a new year objective!
No one, especially my wife.
Boom-boom.
Seriously though, I haven't a clue really. Had a couple of ios tracks used by others for yootoob vids, some tracks on soundcloud have ended up being used on others mixes, comps, podcasts, web labels etc.
Am pretty useless on the self promotion front, the occasions I have made money from music would be from paid work, djing, gigs & a bunch of library music I was involved in producing some years ago. That said, the stuff I'm involved in these days has little or no commercial potential !
Very cool, interesting reads. My wife calls a good portion of my music "Scary Music", so there's that. I also think I will be going the route of BandCamp and name your price. Or just free. I have a job that pays the bills, it would be cool to be able to pay for an ipad upgrade some day with a few music sales. I really just enjoy making music, and hope some one enjoys listening to it.
I'll follow you @u0421793 on soundcloud, and check out your tunes. As well as anyone else that provides a link.
As far as the self promotion, or marketing goes. I didn't actually think that would be as difficult as it is. I'm not that great at setting it up either. I know there are things/tools out there that are helpful to market online. I'm not really savvy to any of that. And it would take time to learn it.
Ha! All a bit depressing really. My photos have gotten a lot more interest than my music, but then I do 0 promotion and there's not a lot up to date. Not to mention a lot of genre jumping.
https://soundcloud.com/momofugu
@RedSkyLullaby said:
Would you recommend Bandcamp? I'm tempted to put something up there but wondering if there's much point considering how much is on there already.
Just to boost my confidence someone (in the real world - my manager actually) has just referred to my music as "that supermarket plinky musak" - this in the context of me discovering where the on-hold music of our Cisco telephone system is held on the servers. I feel some of my music might just get a wider audience...... :-)
Whoever follows the links I post on here and a few of my Facebook friends. Despite the fact I've been at this on and off for 20 years, I mostly just write the sort of music I like to listen to and have never felt I've got it good enough to approach the labels that release the same sort of stuff. As such I've not really shared much of it over the years beyond a few friends.
Oh yeah, the neighbours get a listen quite frequently - usually to a 4 to the floor kick and throbbing sub-bass muffled only by the party wall
) - They love it they do!!
My cat, but only because I make him.
Mostly me. I've got a few friends that like my stuff. The joy of playing and seeing what I can come up with motivates me. Exploration and experimentation are my primary modus operandi and if other people enjoy it, that's great. Haven't spent any time trying to promote my music as it's still in its developmental stages and may never emerge from that status. There are plenty of very good musicians out there for people to listen to so I don't feel my current efforts would fill any voids.
@1P18 - I gotta check out some of your tunes! Looks like your cat is trippin' balls!
This subject is always a sore spot for me. It feels like it's getting harder and harder in the world to actually get attention for good music. And even if you do, it's usually through the conduit of someone else (with good intentions, I assume) finding your music and then essentially pushing it for you.
However, it's easy to get attention by the combination of a) spending money to buy up empty calorie "followers" like on Soundcloud, and b) being satisfied with having a group of "followers" that don't actually know you from Adam. I knew a producer in Austin who was constantly trying to reference the amount of followers he had, and how many plays he got for shit like a garbage Steve Miller Band remix.
On the other hand, a friend of mine (another producer from Austin, vvv), has a huge Soundcloud following that is legit and not full of spambots. He deserves it 'cause his music is great, too! I like to remind myself of his success as a way to stay optimistic.
But to answer the initial question: King Coffey was at my very first live show! He stole all our vodka, too...
My kids listen...for now; my dog listens, sometimes; my wife only listens when she wants something in return.
On the other hand, I have over a million paid downloads on Band Camp, strange women throw panties at me and everyone wants to buy me beer. Oh, wait...that was just something I dreamed last night. Nevermind.
Actually, a bit on the subject, I have to give all the credit in the world to my roommate. Local rapper who works his ass off for his music, and cares about its quality. He goes out almost every day to sell hard copies of his cd, so he can get his name and face out there.
If you like hip hop, check him out!
http://datboysupa.bandcamp.com/
@CalCutta Not quite my cup of tea but it sounds great. I have a lot of admiration for emcees that are willing to promote themselves relentlessly. There's something about rapping (putting yourself out there, battling, bragging...) that historically seems to better align with promoting yourself than being an ambient synth weeny.
Do you guys work together at all on beats? Is he singing too?
I once played a gig to no one. True story. Even the bartender wandered off.
But that was long ago and far away. Got back into making music this year after a long hiatus and it feels so good. Until my current project is further along, only immediate family and a few friends have heard a peep. My preciousssss and all. But I'm looking forward to sharing in 2015
Once upon a time I was in the top ten music channels on YouTube, back in the day when 20,000 views was a lot (2007/8). I had three or four videos which had combined over a million views. The rot set in when I tried to make something of my "success". I think I sold about 50 copies of an album I put out through my own web site (this was pre bandcamp et al).
Now I have a small following on bandcamp and YouTube, and I might sell one or two copies of each album (of which there are now 53 on bandcamp). But the democratisation of music makes it very difficult for a musician to make a good case for his own music. "Listen to me, I'm great" doesn't really cut it these days, if it ever did.
I'd be delighted to sell ten copies of everything I do, so that's my lofty aim for this year.
Is that sad? lol
IMO promoting music is a full spectrum activity and the techniques used by big record companies are usually the ones that are the most proven. Record album - play gigs - advertising (tv, radio, social media etc.) - merchandise - word of mouth. Other than a few freak exceptions such as x-factor winners or viral song on YT it normally works from the centre out wards: friends - parties - small local gigs, local radio, local festival, then out of the county/state - bigger festivals - national radio stations - talent scout etc. I found there isn't much point in starting big because unless you are great looking, amazingly talented, charming, charismatic and super lucky you're bound to fall on your face. Dreaming is a part of the process though so definitely try and enjoy that part
@monzo said:
>
@monzo -- yes would recommend bandcamp especially with direction soundcloud is going with more ads. Bandcamp has very simple interface and different player embed options (ie different sizes/shapes)
Going to take a listen to some of the links later.
This is my album on my website (which is basically my web address redirecting to bandcamp)
http://redskylullaby.com/album/burst
@RedSkyLullaby said:
Thanks, yes the Soundcloud interface has gone downhill a bit recently. I'll give Bandcamp a spin
thom yorke also now using bandcamp as of a few days ago
http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2014/12/29/thom-yorke-releases-new-music-bandcamp