Tracking a 25 minute song

[ItsmeSantiago]

I just listened to "Memoria." That is really good stuff. Atmospheric prog metal, reminds me of Savatage. Well-written and executed. The real deal. If you guys can pull that off live, you're sitting on huge potential.

It's worth noting that none of your material fits the 3-minute pop song mold, so you've already violated that standard. May as well keep exploring regardless of song length, it seems to be who you are as a band.

You guys have done an incredible amount of legwork and laid an awesome foundation.

Any label/distributor can find out what you're up to with the songs you've already published on-line. That should be enough to spark the interest of a support company that is a good fit.

From a marketing perspective, you have built a shining beacon on a hilltop and pulled off a relatively rare feat in the music industry. It's not appropriate at this point to spend a lot of time and effort chasing and changing for your audience and support team; they should be coming to you, right where you are, figuratively speaking. And they will.

Any label/distribution/production team that can't see the commercial/marketing potential of your product, or wants you to make fundamental changes, is a waste of time and not worth pursuing. There are undoubtedly production teams out there that "get it" and would love to work with you guys. Hold out for them.

Again, I say to thine own selves be true. If a 25-minute high-quality epic is part of your package, do not be afraid to show that side of your band to anyone.

I appreciate the kind words. I think people are assuming “record deal” and “commercial success” as being synonymous. I’d say a band like Trivium is quite successful but I’ve never heard them on any of my local radio stations and the area I live in has a deep metal culture.

 

[RichardW]

It's also broken into four sections which are pretty distinct from each other.

True enough, but four sections of 14 minutes, 9 minutes, 12 minutes, and 22 minutes.

Beethoven’s 9th is a musical masterwork.

The op’s piece is probably awesome, but it’s rock & roll! Not a fair comparison.

Just demonstrating it's the quality of the piece, not it's length that's key. There are plenty of crappy 3:00 songs.

 

[electracoyote]

I appreciate the kind words. I think people are assuming “record deal” and “commercial success” as being synonymous. I’d say a band like Trivium is quite successful but I’ve never heard them on any of my local radio stations and the area I live in has a deep metal culture.

When I use the term "commercial success," it means someone else's money was well-spent, the project is at least paying for itself and ideally begins providing a return on that investment, and you might be able to pay your rent from band revenue some day. Artistic success is all well and good, but too ambiguous for me: $$$ success is tangible, and that's what your investors want to see.

Do you guys have a designated manager/administrator, a person outside the group who can work the industry and represent your best interests?

 

[mellowinman]

Any prog band with any credibility has to have a long suite with sections with Roman numerals and multiple time signatures. Extra points for references to mythological creatures from at least one pantheon, and more for the use of unusual instruments not normally used in rock and/or roll.

Suite of the Mixador

Part I: Soul of the Tripodero

a) tripodero's lament
b) feeding song
c) driving over the cliff​

Part II: Splinter Cat's Busy Day

a) nonsense
b) stuff​

Part III: Who Let the Gumberoos Out?

a) gumberoos in jail

i) prison yard
ii) muscle memory​

b) gumberoos lifting tiny boxes​

Most of this piece will be played on rusty bedsprings and undulating iguanas. The first part of Part I: section a) will be in 17/94 time, with interludes in 4/4, 5/4 and 6,000,000/7. The rest of the piece will be in an imaginary time signature, dreamt up by Tibetan Monks who never actually existed, even in anyone's imagination.

The piece took my 75 years to write, and I'm not even that old, so I had to go back in time several times.

 

[bearfoot]

I've done some remixes from stubs. In some cases only the vocals have survived from the originals. I must do more with the results.

When 90% of the original is gone, and even the original structure has been changed, to what extent is it a remix compared to an original?

As creative as it can be, I don't think remixing or shuffling loops can ever be considered the origin of the work. You have to be the source of the melody/lyric, or writing and recording new parts. I suppose that could be done with sampling, however. Sample the original recording, and then write new parts from the samples. That would be an original arrangement, but still not an original song unless you wrote a new melody and lyric.
The line gets fine, eh?

 

[pwhalen]

I'd only do it if the other guys agreed to also record the TLL (too long:didn't listen) version that encapsulated the themes from the long version, but comes in at no longer than 40 seconds. At least you know a few people would listen to that one. (Actually, we wrestled with the same question many years back - didn't end up recording it and kinda wish we did)

 

[BigBasserino]

Quite often your 25 minute epic is four five minute tracks, a two minute quiet interlude, and then some sort of three minute compendium. There just aren't any gaps so no need for stage banter. Some long pieces are cut-and-shuts of initially unrelated pieces.

True. But people like things like song names and choruses....

 

[TjMetalhead]

True. But people like things like song names and choruses....

True but some songs don't have proper choruses, like Iron Maiden's Infinite Dreams.

 

[EddiePlaysBass]

Didn't The War On Drugs recently release an 11 minute single? It gets quite a bit of airplay in these parts. And they're a pop band...