Hideout Comp Series

[kopper]

Today I was poking around on eMusic.com when I came across those Little Steven's Underground Garage Coolest Songs in the World! comps. Actually, this was the first time I'd even heard of them... I knew he'd been doing this "Coolest Song in the World" thing for years now, but I just didn't know they had been comped. Looking over the track lists on these, I thought to myself, "Wow, these are what he thinks are the coolest songs in the world? Hell, the bands on the Hideout have better stuff than this..." and that's when the light bulb went off over my head! Why not put together a comp or two or sixteen of some of "the coolest songs on the Hideout"? Yeah! These would be digital download compilations only (no physical CDs to get pressed since anyone interested in having them on CD can burn their own CDs themselves if they want). We could make them available here on the Hideout for free and even put them up via TuneCore on eMusic, iTunes, Amazon.com and some other online stores for a nominal fee (selling them there; giving them away for free here). Plus, the songs would also get some spins on our various podcasts... probably more so than anything on Mevio's Music Alley. All I'd need would be some bands to submit material... and there are already a LOT of bands here.

HOW TO SUBMIT SONGS FOR THE HIDEOUT COMP SERIES:

1. First and foremost, you MUST have an account on this site to be a part of the Hideout Comp Series! It doesn't have to be a band page necessarily, but at least one band member must be a registered member here. (That's sorta the point of doing this, ya know... to showcase Hideout bands!) And furthermore, we'd appreciate it if you keep your account active here for at least a year after the comp is released (if we use your song). None of this join the site to submit the song, have it get approved/included on one of the volumes, and then delete your account. That's just not cool. And yes, a few bands have done this already.
2. Specs: Make sure your submission is in 16-bit WAV format, ripped at 1411 kbps (bit rate) and 44.100 kHz (sample rate). Sorry, we can't accept MP3s. And please make sure your WAV files are ripped from CD or a studio master. We don't recommend converting MP3s (especially low bit rate ones) to WAVs, or else the compression artifacts inherent in the MP3 will still be there in the WAV file.
3. It's helpful if you include BOTH the name of the band AND the song title in the file name of the WAV. Something like this: The_Evil_Eyes_Honey_Please.wav (that way I know what the song is and what band submitted it... all very helpful info to have when putting together a compilation album!).
4. We also prefer to have UNMASTERED songs. We can accept mastered songs, just know that if you have an unmastered version, please submit that instead.
5. When you've got your song ready to go, then go to the GRGPNK Soundcloud Drop Box and upload it there for us. Please enter your own email address under "Your Contact Info" and make sure you enable downloads under the track settings, too. And, please, JUST ONE SONG PER BAND!! (Originals only; no covers.)
   
6. Next, go to your email program (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, Outlook, etc.) and send an email to me at [e-mail]. The email should include the following information: Band Name, Song Title, and Hideout Page Link - This way I not only know who submitted what songs, but how to connect the songs with their corresponding Hideout member accounts (also very important info for our comp series). Make sure you use the email address that you'll be checking most often, because, if your song makes the cut, you'll be hearing back from me in due time. So keep checking your email! NOTE: Please do NOT send me a message on Facebook, here on the Hideout, or leave a comment for me on my page. I need to keep this stuff organized, and I can't do it if people are leaving me comments and messages all over the damned place... EMAIL ME. That way I can keep it all nice and organized in one place so I don't go completely mad trying to keep on top of everything.
7. After you do all of the above, make sure you join the GRGPNK Records group here to stay on top of the releases, have access to the track lists for each comp, not to mention the download links.
8. IF YOUR SONG IS CHOSEN TO BE INCLUDED on one of our upcoming volumes, I will contact YOU. There is no need for you to keep bugging me about it or email me asking if I got the track. If you don't hear from me, that means your song didn't get selected. However, it may still get selected for a future volume as I keep ALL of these songs on hand, just in case. When I email you, I'll ask you to agree to our terms, which are copied below for you so you know what to expect:

Please be aware that by taking part and submitting music for this series, that you agree that you'll not recoup any money from sales. These comps will be released under a Creative Commons license (Attribution Non-Commercial/No Derivatives), meaning people will be allowed to copy and redistribute the songs as they please, as long as they abide by the Creative Commons guidelines (no modifications or commercial use will be allowed). If you belong to one of the Performance Rights Organizations like BMI, ASCAP or SESAC, you can still release your work under Creative Commons. Read this article for more info. Also, regarding mechanical royalties, if you belong to the Harry Fox Agency (a similar organization that collects mechanical royalties for musicians and other copyright holders), you agree to waive your mechanical royalties for the track submitted. You're making this agreement with the understanding that it is for promotional use only, that hopefully in return for your song appearing on one of these comps, that you'll get some good exposure out of it, and that any money made from sales of downloads from Bandcamp or through eMusic, iTunes, Amazon, Napster, etc. being funneled in through our TuneCore account will go directly towards paying for the distribution of more of these comps in the future, with any leftover money (if any) going towards supporting the GaragePunk Hideout.

[The Professor]

Hey Guys! The Compilation is GREAT! Great Tunes, Great Bands...Just GREAT!

[kopper]

Sounds like a browser caching issue. Try a different browser, or try completely emptying your browser cache and browsing history, including active logins, cookies, etc. Then restart your browser and see if that clears it up. Nothing I can do from my end. If you continue to have problems, submit a support request through http://help.ning.com

Whitey Allin said:

There seems to be something wrong with my page. I can't sign out, leave garage punk to try again, change my profile theme, or find the compilation download. Every time I close the site, and then come back, I'm still signed in. So whatever you can do... I tried sending this through mail and chat, and it still will do nothing. Sorry to do this through a forum, but I can't post anywhere else.

[MsStixx '76 - Elisa]

Hi Kopper, yes, you are the man with that comp series, tasty choices!  Is the songlist up here somewhere? I didn't grab it on the DL....thanks for all of your work keeping us old punks in the know. :)  Elisa

[kopper]

Yes, the song list is included on the download page. About > Hideout Comps from the menu bar above... and if you didn't download it from there, I'd like to know where you DID download it that didn't include a track list!

Thee Ms. Stixx - Elisa said:

Hi Kopper, yes, you are the man with that comp series, tasty choices!  Is the songlist up here somewhere? I didn't grab it on the DL....thanks for all of your work keeping us old punks in the know. :)  Elisa

[MsStixx '76 - Elisa]

LOL!  I did download it here, you KNOW my loyalty runs deep for this excellent site ha.  I just remember there was a list somewhere and then I got lazy and decided to write to the uber-punk rather than look for myself. Sheer punkass laziness.  Thank you!

[KK Dirty Money & Las Drogas]

I know it has been mentioned in previous posts, but what is the deadline for the next comp submission?

 

thanks

[kopper]

July 1, 2011

Oh, and "next" would be Vol. 6, since the first five are all pretty much done.

KK Dirty Money said:

I know it has been mentioned in previous posts, but what is the deadline for the next comp submission?

 

thanks

[kopper]

OK, now that the first volume is out of the way, I wanted to take care of some business for the rest of the volumes.

ALL bands who were picked for the first five volumes have been contacted. At least, I have *tried* to contact them via their email addresses associated with their Hideout accounts. I have yet to hear back from several:

PIRATO KETCHUP

THE WAISTCOATS

THE BEAT KILLERS

BOSS FIGHT

PLYMOUTH FURY

If you represent one of those bands, please CHECK YOUR EMAIL! And I mean your EMAIL, not your Hideout inbox. There should be a message there from me that asks for your permission to waive mechanical royalties and all that. You must reply to that email. If you know of someone from one of the above bands and know of some other way of getting in touch with them, let me (or them) know!

If you submitted a song but have not received an email from me, that means you didn't make the cut this time. THIS time. You still have a chance to make a future comp, however, your chances may improve if you submit a different song. Chances are if I didn't care for your track enough to include it on the initial volumes that I probably won't like it any more and include it on subsequent volumes. But that doesn't mean I may not like something else you submit. Just use the Soundcloud drop box and submit a different track... ya never know!

And, of course, any bands who missed out on the first five are welcome to submit songs for Vol. 6, too, including any bands who have joined the site recently. Good luck!

[G. Wood]

I was thinking...about the downloadable covers...They don't have a track listing? Or am I missing something? If not, maybe you could put them in landscape format, and have a track listing panel that hinges, so you could fold it over, stick it in a jewel case, and have the tracks on the inside? Just an idea, if you like it. Might have to adjust the borders before printing.

[kopper]

Yeah, I never really crossed that bridge, but you're right, it does make sense if someone wants to print it off for a homemade CD. But I'd hate to do this myself and add it to the artwork for each one... wouldn't want to step on any toes, ya know? Maybe the artists would be willing to do this...?

G. Wood said:

I was thinking...about the downloadable covers...They don't have a track listing? Or am I missing something? If not, maybe you could put them in landscape format, and have a track listing panel that hinges, so you could fold it over, stick it in a jewel case, and have the tracks on the inside? Just an idea, if you like it. Might have to adjust the borders before printing.

[Esgar acelerado]

i was doing a full cd design for myself but can share it with all the other punks here at the hideout if someone else want to print it and put it on a cd case...

but what do you think? each artist draw is own, or you think it's better to draw a generic back cover and change the tracklist and band contacts for each volume?...

 

if you need any help, i'm around here... :)

 

 

[Hell Crab City]

Yeah it always come down to that, it's a lot of money and work for not much back - hang on, sounds like my life ..hahahah...  but seriously though, would pay for some copies to sell at gigs, but hey that's just me .. 

kopper said:

I think one of the main (preventative) issues with doing vinyl is each band would want some, and we're talking about 22 bands on the first volume alone. If every band wanted five copies for themselves and then another ten to sell, that would be 15 x 22 = 330 copies right there. Then you'd need at least another couple hundred to sell via brick & mortar stores and mail order. So even a minimum of 500 pressing would be pretty costly, and would mean very little profit for whatever label decided to take this on. 500 copies will cost around $1,300 at United. That's roughly $2.60 each (cost). I guess you could sell the bands their copies at cost (some may not like this, though, and expect their copies for free), which means you *should* (if all the bands actually come through and pay for 15 copies each) make $858 back relatively soon, but then you'd have only 170 copies left over to sell or use as promo and try to make a little profit to make it worthwhile. Even if you sell all 170 for $10 each, that's only $1,258. And I'm not even including packaging costs, postage (including international shipping), and the time it would take to take orders, box them up, invoice them, send them out, track sales at stores, etc. It's more than I would want to take on (especially for multiple volumes), that's for sure.

This is the reality that all indie record labels face, obviously, but asking a label that had absolutely no hand in compiling the album to take all this on (and again, 5+ volumes' worth) is asking quite a lot!

 

Hell Crab City said:

Just listened, Jeff, it's really great, cool selection, great bands, and thanks so much for including us ... someone has GOT TO DO SOME VINYL, DUDES ... seriously ...would be cool, i'd buy it, and all the rest of the volumes too ;-)