The melody and lyrics in the depths of his mind have never been forgotten, and after reawakening, he poured down wantonly, but then Lan Li was stunned, because the recording software on the computer was not recorded at all, so he had to temporarily stop playing and seriously began to study the recording software. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

Perhaps, he shouldn't have gone to such trouble, just record a video and send it directly to YouTube, why bother recording a digital audio source here?

However, this should be a gift, not a debut, thinking of this, Lan Li still honestly cleaned up the idea of being lazy, while groping for recording software, while looking for recording skills, began to explore again. When the sky was revealed, the song "Cleopatra", which lasted a little more than three minutes, was finally recorded.

Sure enough, recording music was an extremely troublesome thing, and Lan Li only felt a sore back. He needed a break.

Leaving the computer, I went to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee, and the rich aroma of coffee finally saved Lan Li's sleepy soul. However, since it was already halfway done, it was not a wise choice to give up halfway, because Lan Li knew that once he gave up, then this matter was probably really given up, and he didn't bother to do it again after that. Therefore, this gift still needs to be done in one go.

I poured the second cup of coffee, thought about it, and after all, there was still no sugar or milk, and I returned to the computer with the coffee, recalling the website that Neil had introduced earlier, the song cast.

A few years ago, it was very difficult for a musician to release his own single or album, because the distribution channels were in the hands of large record labels and large distribution companies, not to mention the rarity of publicity and promotion resources.

To take the simplest example, the United States is a country on wheels, and car radios are the most efficient in promoting music, but agreements have been signed for the music played by major radio stations every day, and even down to the playlist of 25 songs to be played this week, as well as the requirements for playing frequencies, all of which have detailed regulations, and more than 90% of the radio music playlists have been in the hands of large companies.

This is also a big reason why it is almost difficult for independent musicians to get ahead.

But now, thanks to the new model of online music, YouTube and Facebook are one way, and iTunes and Spotify are another, but both ways are the same, mainly providing a platform for independent musicians to present themselves. Although the limitations of publicity and promotion resources still limit their development, at least they have opened a window for idol singers like Justin-Bieber to achieve a counterattack, which is a remarkable result after the change of music forms in the new era.

Lan Li has very limited knowledge of music, but after reading the website agreement of the song cast, he suddenly felt enlightened.

Although independent musicians can now skip the link of the distribution company and publish their music directly on online sites such as iTunes or Spotify to provide purchase and download, the procedure is very cumbersome, not only has a full range of requirements for details such as music format, music duration, recording quality, etc., but also has rigid requirements for the number of music. Apple, for example, stipulates that a singer must have at least 50 registered songs under his name before they can be uploaded to iTunes, and such a restriction has scared off countless independent musicians.

Not to mention, iTunes is also a veritable large company, and cumbersome legal provisions are enough to cause headaches. Even if Lan Li is not from the law department, he also knows that when independent individuals fight against large companies, there is almost no room for survival, their interests will be compressed to the lowest bottom line, and there are many hidden clauses in the contracts of large companies, which further exploit the interests of independent individuals. Of course, the good thing is that they are a big company, so there is nothing to be bored with, everything is open and honest!

In this case, the song cast provides an alternative platform for independent musicians, or more accurately, a possibility.

For most indie musicians, they may just want to test the waters and see if their music can succeed, or they may just want to find a platform to sell their music and find more music companies to attract attention.

In the age of the Internet, the traditional way of self-promotion is no longer applicable. For example, sending audio tapes to record companies, such as participating in the warm-up performances of big-name singers, and then participating in the "American Idol" audition. Instead, YouTube video, iTunes digital audio source, this kind of network mode.

Of course, compared to YouTube's free videos, online music sales can also earn some income, which is undoubtedly more appealing.

That's where the song cast came in.

It is actually an online music seller, a bit similar to a traditional distribution company, independent singers upload their music to the website, publish, and then the website will make file format conversion, illustration formatting and other systematic work, and then complete the work of distribution to various online music sales websites, including Amazon, iTunes, Spotify and other mainstream websites, only need a one-time upload, can be easily completed.

Not only that, the song cast is also an important showcase platform, and many big-name producers or record companies will use this platform to find potential singers and cast a wide net to discover new talents. Although the decline of the music industry in the 21st century is very obvious, the demand for new talents in the industry has never declined.

Song Cast isn't the only company offering music distribution, but it's one of the most established and successful companies out there.

This has indeed saved Lan Li a lot of red tape, and it's no wonder that Neil said before that everything is now easier.

Create an account, upload music, write song titles and descriptions...... Then, Lan Li found out that he actually had to upload a single cover - which also meant that he needed to make a cover by himself temporarily, which really made Lan Li feel extremely troublesome.

The whole person fell directly on the bed, the soft quilt was extremely comfortable, and the sleepiness swept in again, Lan Li almost wanted to give up, sure enough, he was still suitable for sleeping in the quilt, recording music, designing covers, uploading audio or something, it was really too verbose. He'd rather spend five hours watching an Off-Broadway rehearsal than sit in front of a computer and toss around with the recording.

With a long exhale, Lan Li told himself: This is just a one-time thing, this is just a special gift, so it is better for him to grit his teeth and complete it in one go.

Even if Lan Li is not reborn, he clearly understands that the modern music industry is very sluggish, and it is the same all over the world, not to mention the golden age of the 70s and 80s, and the music market is still blooming in the 90s, when the commercialization was the most perfect. But now, not only have album sales plummeted, the current year-end sales champion may not even be in the top 10 of the year-end charts of a decade ago, and the market has transitioned from albums to singles — where everyone is selling singles, and the quality of music has dropped significantly.

Once upon a time, jazz, blues, soul, pop, rock, rap, country, folk...... There is a dizzying variety of music, and in every particular era there is a specific music genre that rises strongly, such as 60s folk, 70s rock, and 80s disco, but in addition to them, the wonderful variety of other music genres also feasts the listener's ears, and almost everyone can find their own unique music.

But now, the music industry is getting narrower and narrower, and it has completely become a world of pop and rap, and colleagues whose music quality has obviously declined, and other music genres have almost no room to survive. Ballads are like that.

In the '60s, folk songs were popular all over the world, even enough to change politics and culture, and folk singers like Bob-Dylan, David Bowey, and Joan-Baez who started the civil rights movement and changed the course of history literally changed the world with their music.

In 2016, Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize for Literature, awakening curiosity and attention to folk songs. But in fact, in the past twenty or thirty years, the living space of folk songs has been compressed to the extreme, although it has not been eliminated by the times like disco, but it is not far away. In the billboard singles chart and album chart, it is difficult to see folk songs even in the top 50, let alone the top 10.

Lan Li is a reborn person, and he also knows that the future is the world of electronic dance music, and the situation of folk songs has not only not improved, but has also slipped further into the abyss.

Therefore, the recording of the music "Cleopatra" is purely a gift to Stanley - the reason why the pioneer village was able to survive in Manhattan, where every inch of land is at a premium, even Woody Allen and "The New Yorker" magazine admired it, relying on Stanley's sincerity and persistence, jazz, rock, folk, bluegrass and other music genres that can hardly find a living soil, Stanley exhausted his life's work and retained a trace of blood.

Lan Li doesn't think that there will be a next time. This is also the status quo of indie music, brutal and cold, but true.

Thinking of this, Lan Li sat up straight again, thought about it seriously, rummaged through the photo album on the computer, and finally found a special photo - the gate of the pioneer village, the gate that is so simple that it is a little dilapidated, low-key and quiet, the afternoon sun is clean and sparsely sprinkled, with a kind of washed plain and clear, but with the footprints of history.

On the right side of the shop window, there is a banner of "Cleopatra", and on the left side is a sign of "Lan Li-Hall", which is not deliberately highlighted, as if it was originally part of the shop window.

In this way, the single cover is complete.

After returning to the song cast, after completing all the information, click upload, and after watching the progress bar reach 100%, Lan Li turned off the computer and rolled directly to the bed, finally able to rest.