#VancouverMusicians Song Showcase - Gabriela Geneva

We've started up, revisiting our #VancouverMusicians, but this time we are focusing on a song from each artist! We want to spread the best of Vancouver music as far as it can go!

Voting For Music Competitions, A Fan's Perspective

Every year there are tons of competitions going on that require bands to get their fans to vote. Not only does it establish how big a band's fan base is, but also how active they can be. Having a 1,000 people vote once doesn't do as well as having 100 vote once a day for a whole month. Bands will constantly post "Vote for us!" in hopes to remind their fans to spend the time to go to the website and vote, but what is in it for the fans?

From a bands perspective, huge rewards, new shows, potential gear, could be on the line for winning this competition. So all they can do is encourage their friends to vote. Sometimes it gets a little spammy of them asking every day "Hey, have you voted yet?", but its almost all that a band can do. If your a friend or fan of the band then you might spend the time once or even twice to vote for them by doing all the necessary steps. But beyond that, your duty as a fan has been filled, you don't want to be harassed anymore because you voted. You did your part. What entices fans to do anymore beyond that?

Its not like a fan is getting paid to vote, its not like if the band wins that they are going to share any of their newfound loot or glory with the fans. Its just the good feeling of supporting someone for doing something they love. Which is fine, but don't expect your friends to be dashing to their computers every morning to give you another vote. You have to earn that vote. Most bands don't make it about their fans, and without their fans, the band is nothing. Why not release some fun videos to keep reminding people to vote, or if people vote promise them a new song (doesn't have to be studio quality) when the voting period is over. I know there is no way of knowing who voted for you, but involving your fans can entice more people to vote for you.

But as far as those ideas go, it literally is only your bands fan base that is going to vote. Its SO HARD to get random people to vote for you. So by posting on forums or Facebook groups "Vote for me!" is just wasting time. If i don't even know you, or your band, the first impression I get is that you want me to do something for you. Its like going around asking for change around town with a hat. People's first impression is going to be "why should I be giving you money?". With all your best intentions thats not how to introduce someone to your band. You want to first let people become fans of your band and music THEN ask them to go vote. Brings me back to my point, whats in it for me? Getting friends to vote is hard enough, getting strangers to vote is just sometimes impossible.

But rounding back to my point, its only your bands fan base that you are really asking to vote. So if your a new band with 120 Facebook likes (we all know that means maybe 30 of those people actively check your Facebook page on a regular basis), then maybe rethink entering competitions that require extreme amount of voting. Not saying don't entire, but don't over spam your friends in the hope of beating a band with a larger fan base. Spend the time, make your fans, make them your friends, and then you can ask them to vote for you!

I would love to hear all your ideas and comments. Check us out on Facebook HERE and leave us a comment! Or check out website HERE and write in our forum! Or even just comment below!

Hammer Records Relaunch - January 8th @ Studio Records

Check out the event page HERE.

Buy tickets in advance HERE and save $5!

Submit Your Music Now!

Calling all Vancouver musicians!

Hammer Records invites YOU to become part of Hammer Radio. By submitting your song to us you'll be entered for a chance at Hammer Radio play on our all new podcast for the Vancouver music scene.

Submit a $10.00 artist fee for guaranteed play on the NEXT podcast AND be entered for a chance to be FEATURED as a best of an our Hammer Records compilation album at the end of the year. Help us help you, get your band on the air waves and receive massive exposure not just in Vancouver but in our many countries that recognize us! We look forward to hearing your stuff!

Rules Of Submission:
-High Quality Audio
-Radio Length (2-5 minutes)
-Unsigned artists
-Non profit agreement

-Must submit a description of the band, song and album.

We are ALIVE!

Hello readers! We thank you for your continued support and interest in our blog, company and our work. We are excited for the upcoming year and hope you are too.

Keep rocking!

Hammer Records: Film Scoring Samples

Hammer Records has scored a few films in the past. We're opening our doors once again to any film crews or directors that would like to work with us! Check out our samples below and please contact hammerrecords@hotmail.ca if you are interested.

Fix It In The Mix

Recording starts with a good song finishes with a good mix to bring out its full potential. We offer competitive prices and a solid product in a timely fashion. Check out below our samples and see if we are right for your project! All genres welcome!

Reaching Higher And Higher!

We just reached 1,200 likes on Facebook! Thank you so much for the support! We would like to take this chance and just formally announce our plans to move out east! We want to move to the Toronto area to explore the scene there! We will be continuing to be covering as many shows as we can cover over here in the time being. We are going to be pretty busy planning and getting ourselves and our son ready to move but we will be missing all the bands that we have grown to know and love.

Introducing...

Introducing a new member to the Hammer Records family: Eliseo Ryker Scott Weekes. This bundle of joy has been 9 months coming. He is amazing, and we are so happy and excited for the future!

Do not worry! This will not be the end of Hammer Records. Yes, we will have to slow down a bit to make sure we take care of our new son. But fear not! We will be hitting the scene very shortly and spreading the word of Vancouver music as best we can!

Please Listen and share!

Hey Guys!

James here from Hammer Records. I don't ask for much but please take a listen to this tune! I entered a mixing contest and would love to have people listen and share this mix I did for this contest! So please share it around! If I win I will be sure to take a photo and maybe release some more Vancouver Live videos from the Hammer Records vault! Or maybe do a special video?? Who knows!

Cheers!

A Blast From The Past

So after a successful day in the studio work on Solo D's new album (www.facebook.com/solod2013), Roxy and I ventured to the Cellar to see our friends Rude City Riot perform and as usual, was blown away. Such a solid band with a great sound. After them was Ras Nikhilesh who sounded amazing as well. But what was funny, was that in college, I was actually recording both of them, in the same month!

I was early in my college education at the Arts Institute of Vancouver when we were given an assignment to record a band. Most students would find a local band and just hit record. My partner and set out in finding an established band out of the genre of rock. We shortly received an email from Dan Cowan the manager of Rude City Riot. He sent us their EPK and that they were looking for people to record a demo EP.

Even though the project only asked for one song to present to the teacher, we under took this venture and knocked of 5 tracks with Rude City Riot. It was our first "full band" project and we took it open us to do live off the floor beds with all 6 members of the group. We were quick on our feet adjusting microphones, patching compressors and setting up headphones for the gang!

At the same time, during our class hours we had Ras Nikhilesh in the studio recording a single. Our teacher, Steve Feindell, was good friends with him and keep us on sharp edge as we recorded his laid back reggae. But we will get back to that in a second...

We finished Rude City Riot's EP and they were pleased with it! So one day when they are world famous, we will have some old demos which we can sell for millions!

If you haven't check them out then go to www.facebook.com/rudecityriot

But back to Ras and Steve. Well our old teacher had a habbit of going out for a smoke every now and then, and since our class was a night class he would near the end of the session step out for a herbal smoke session. With Ras in the studio those trips had quadrupled. Seems after every take they would "excuse" themselves for 5 minutes. Well near the end of the session while patching in a keyboard to get some synths sounds they went out for a rather long session and when they came in there was no doubt a lot of herb had been smoked. Steve came and sat down and hit play and they just grooved out to the track while the class sat there silent. We looked at each other and laughed at how chill our normally tight-strung teacher was. After playing it he looked around and asked "What were we doing again?" and someone informed him that we were about to track some organ sounds. He looked at the patch bay and looked baffled and then said "Weekes, come over and do it".  So I patched in the keyboards and the session continued.

At the end of the session I offered to give Ras and his friend a ride home. Well before we left, we burned some herb with my teacher (which was an odd and rare experience to start), then went to the car, smoked some more herb and then proceeded to head to his house. While on the road yet some herb was turned into smoke and then I heard a Ras ask "Can we stop at McDonalds?" so we did. Needless to say it was a good trip home. Two of the nicest people I've met.

Just a random personal story but hopefully you enjoyed it!

Cheers!
-James

Are Your Eggs Shaky?

Three words, Shaky Egg Productions. Check out their website, they have done work with huge brands, Pringles, Pepsi, Boston Pizza, etc. Well they have taken a break from the big names to work on content and produce what they want!

Check out their site:

http://www.shakyegg.com/

They have an amazing and ever growing studio on Granville St. Shooting shows like "Cooking To Get Laid" http://www.cooking2getlaid.com/ and my favourite 5 Things We Want, about the Occupy movement around the world. Check it out here: http://www.5thingswewant.com/

Hammer Records will working together with Shaky Egg on their upcoming ventures and will share everything with you the reader!

-NEWS UPDATE-

Hey all you music lovers! Sorry for the lack of content in the last couple of months. We here at Hammer Records have been pushing higher and higher and working harder to bring you bigger and better stuff!

First off we have a new website coming! www.hammerrecords.ca will be official sometime mid January. This will include a list of all our services along with samples. Will also showcase our artists signed under our label. We will be unveiling their names and music soon enough. All 3 are currently in preproduciton for albums to be recorded later this January. Music and live shows coming soon!

Also, music video for Albion Morina for his single "Love Me". Filming commences the first two weekends of January.

Along with that our usual album reviews, live photos, live videos are all coming as fast as we can work on them! Working with a published Author doing an audio book for his book "Don't Read This, Unless You Want More Money!" So lots of things are in the works!

Stay tuned for lots more! Bigger, badder, better!

-James
Hammer Records