Please glance at the following questions before you contact us: we may have already answered your question! But first a special word for musicians who want things from us...
Our head of A&R will eat your demo. Don't send it. |
Musicians - please read this first, it might save you time
In brief, sorry to say: no. No, we do not want your demo CD (unless, possibly, you have shown interest in the sort of music we carry - and there's not much chance of that, is there? Hmm?). No, we cannot offer you a "record deal". No, we cannot make you a superstar. No, we will not listen to MP3s on your Myspace page. No. In general, no. Just - no. Sorry to disappoint you and thanks for thinking of us.
No matter what we say, people keep asking. However, most musicians do deserve an explanation, so please see below if you want to know more about what we do and what we don't do. Maybe you will even have a listen to some of the music we release while you are here? It seems unlikely, but who knows. If you have any other questions not answered below, please do let us know. We're not so ratty once people stop going on about the same cliched music industry nonsense and we even give some of the stuff away (look for the words "free" and "download"). We're just not here to make your dreams come true. We do not have that sort of magic wand lying around so please don't ask.
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OK, on with the rest of the FAQ!
Future releases
Requests for music
Unfamiliar words
Many musicians, few listeners
Other questions
We always have projects planned, but in order to keep our feet on the ground we don't usually announce what they are in advance, and we don't announce release dates until we are sure of them. The latest news will always be announced on this site and on the Earthrid email list: why not join it?
Yes, eventually, but due to participation in other projects on Earthrid, Carya Amara's solo output has taken a back seat. The latest news will always be announced on the Carya Amara sub-site and on the Earthrid email list.
"I host a radio show / write for a review magazine. Can you send me CDs?"
We do at present still intend to make short runs of CDs, but are moving to other methods of music distribution which are cheaper and more efficient for both you and us.
With the demise of the CD as a valued format, we are continuing to move over to free downloads of albums: these are incomparably more popular than CDs! Also, making MP3s available for download is a far more efficient way of distributing music than queuing at the post office to send off CDs, and since many radio shows and reviewers now use laptop computers for reviewing and mixing, it might even save you some "ripping" time! It is definitely the way forward for us and many other "microlabels". Rest assured that the audio quality of the downloads we prepare is still top-notch - virtually indistinguishable from CD quality in most cases.
If you would like to be notified of when new albums are available, ask us to add you to our (low-volume) mailing list.
"I run a radio station. Can you send us CDs?"
Given that Earthrid doesn't release mainstream music, it's not practical for us to stock record libraries with CDs, but if you host a radio programme please see the answer to the previous question.
"Can I hear Earthrid tracks for free?"
Yes, we have made MP3s of some tracks available for download and indeed released full MP3 albums. See the pages for each artist to find out about MP3s available from this site and others. If you like what you hear and want to hear CDs with full quality audio, you can order much of the music from our catalogue.
It seems from requests we receive that some listeners think they should get CDs for free as well as MP3s, but bearing in mind the time and effort invested in making CDs available, such requests are, we think, unfair. Enjoy our MP3s, and if you like what we do, feel free to let us know!
If you would like to be notified of when new albums are available, ask us to add you to our (low-volume) mailing list.
"Can we swap one of our CDs for yours?"
Earthrid is a labour of love, but we do have significant costs and CD swaps don't really help out there!
"Where does the name 'Earthrid' come from?"
Earthrid is a character in David Lindsay's novel Voyage to Arcturus (published in 1920). This was a strange and powerful work of philosophical science fantasy which influenced a number of writers (most notably C. S. Lewis) but which is not as well-known as it should be. The character Earthrid was a musician whose bizarre music was of such intensity that it was almost invariably fatal. That's not the effect we're after, but we admire the uncompromising attitude. :-)
Here is a short extract, taken from an online copy of the novel:
"'But my music is founded on painful tones; and thus its symmetry is wild, and difficult to discover; its emotion is bitter and terrible.'
'If I had not anticipated its being original, I would not have come here,' said Maskull. 'Still, explain--why can't harsh tones have simple symmetry of form? And why must they necessarily cause more profound emotions in us who listen?'
'Pleasures may harmonise. Pains must clash; and in the order of their clashing lies the symmetry. The emotions follow the music, which is rough and earnest.'
'You may call it music,' remarked Maskull thoughtfully, 'but to me it bears a closer resemblance to actual life.'
Earthrid's three-fold theory of the nature of music is reflected in the first letter of our logo. The significance of the rest of the logo is left as an exercise for the reader.
It means quality electronic music. :-P
"Can I send you a demo CD? / Will you listen to my MP3 demos?"
Earthrid has limited resources, and we are therefore unable to consider releasing music by people who are not already connected with the label in some way. But these tips might help:
- Don't spam every email address you can find - make the effort to look at each label's site to find out what the submissions policy is, and what their musical interests are (this should be obvious to everyone, but apparently isn't!).
- Why not put out an album yourself? It has never been easier to make a recording of your music - although getting it to an audience is a much bigger problem.
"Can you give me a record contract?"
As we state on the main page of this site, we are not part of the record "industry" and we are not in a position - or of a disposition - to offer traditional "record contracts". We have no interest in taking away musicians' rights to their music.
By the way, should you be tempted to spam every label address you can find in the desperate hope of a contract, without looking to find out anything about the labels, beware: there are some unethical people who might try to take advantage of your naivety. Take care of your music and your rights.
"Will you review my music?"
Thanks for valuing our opinion, but this is not a reviews site and we do not have time to review other musicians' material, in public or in private. There are many reviews sites and magazines (follow the links in our catalogue pages for some of them), so it would be of more use for you to approach them.
"Can you distribute my music, or promote it?"
No. Read what Earthrid does at the top of the front page of this site. You won't see the words "distributor" or "promoter" there.
"Do you have any job vacancies?"
No, sorry. Earthrid aims to release very unusual music so we are not a business and never will be. If you want work experience for your CV, you might consider starting your own projects (put out a CD, do gigs etc.) or gaining experience working for voluntary organisations (hospital radio, charity recording studios, education projects... you will have to hunt around). Good luck.
"I am a graphic designer. Would you like to use my work?"
No thanks. Our CDs are designed to reflect the music, in consultation with the recording artists - and as a non-profit label, this is something we must do "in-house".
"Can you give me advice about working in the music industry?"
Earthrid is not part of the music industry; it's a non-profit project to promote just some of the original, neglected music which might not otherwise be heard, so we can't really help there!
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![[cover art]](http://www.earthrid.com/Images/CA01CD-75.jpg)
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