Max Greenwood
Contributor
On a laptop with recording software, all it takes is a couple hours to craft a beat or two. Lay down some vocals, post it to YouTube, then sit back and wait for a record deal. Congratulations! You’ve just followed in the footsteps of a new generation that is eager to bring music to the public by themselves, forgoing outside help.
The do-it-yourself (DIY) movement in music is growing quickly. Traditional record sales may be dropping, but instrument sales have been skyrocketing more than ever.
We can now post our creative endeavours on the Internet and share them with our friends with one click. In today’s social media frenzy, it can be hard to stand out, so the need to establish credibility comes into play.
I caught up with Mike “Greener” Greenwood and Mike “Kraz” Krasnowski, the members of The Moorelands Project, to talk about music and their band. They are vets of the DIY scene, having logged years of collective experience in many environments. Both pursued music in school. Kraz attended Durham College, and Greener went to Carleton University, going on to study right here at Seneca@York.
The Moorelands Project is a band that “prides itself on being completely produced in-house.” The duo writes, records, and mixes everything from a home studio, while maintaining professionalism in their music production.
“It’s not what you put out exactly,” says Greener. “It’s how you put it out. Anyone can post an online recording, but it takes that extra step to get it onto iTunes.”
In order to try and be distinctive today, you must try and appeal to many tastes. “Everyone likes everything these days,” says Kraz. “From Rihanna to Tokyo Police Club. You never know what’s going to be big next.”
“DIY music has been growing over the past decade or so,” adds Greener. “Musicians are sometimes fearful of labels. In the ’90s, you had to go to a record company for everything from photos to pressing demos. Now, Google does it for you.”
Promotion and distribution has changed so drastically, it has become easy to make the public aware of you. “It used to be posting flyers wherever the show was. Nobody cared,” says Kraz. “Social media [like Twitter and Facebook] is now there to get your name out. Someone may not know you’re in a band, and then they get an [online] invite and come.”
Of course, it doesn’t hurt to promote yourself the old-fashioned way. When Greener attended Seneca@York for independent music production, he often collaborated with other students and provided music and beats for the radio amongst other things. Greener and other artists even honed their craft with open-mic nights at Blueberry Hill.
The Moorelands Project filmed a music video for their first single, “The Trip”, on Greener’s home street employing friends and family, and it’s on iTunes now.
They also released six songs for free download, with Kraz chipping in, “You buy one, get six free. How often do you see that?”
The music business has definitely changed, but is it dead?
“No way, that’s bull,” exclaims Greener. “It’s just different.”
The business has evolved, and now there is serious money in searching for the next big sensation on the Internet.
the moorelands project
‘The Trip’
The track is available on iTunes, with a self-produced music video
The Moorelands Project
Download their self-titled EP at themoorelandsproject.com
A new genre?
– The Moorelands Project considers itself a rock hop and roll band
– Their goal is to transcend genres, appealing to most radio stations
Check out the Moorelands Project at www.themoorelandsproject.com
