Putting Out A Record Without A Band

My guess is labels would prefer someone who's going to go out there and promote by playing gigs, but I'm sure it's not impossible, especially if you already have some footholds and connections in the biz.

After all, David Berman (Silver Jews) didn't tour most of his career. Then again, he was connected with Pavement, and he also probably would have sold a lot more records if he had toured. And also he's a fucking genius.

If you are going down the cheap-n-dirty path, you ought do it in style: If you expect to sell 500 CDRs, press 100. Package them in hand-crafted, numbered sleeves, available only thru your site. If possible, find a friend with a letterpress to make the sleeves -- fold-in, not glued. Cryptic liner notes, if any, and if you include contact info, put it on a badly-photocopied insert. And so on.

You can't go half-way on this kinda thing, either way you go.

Thing is, I feel like no one ever *noticed* the contributions that I was making to the live music when I was gigging. So would anyone notice if I stopped?

There is a lot more precedent for being a writer/producer/manager of a young, attractive band than there is for Brian Wilson's thing. Write their stuff, produce them and manage them let them enjoy doing all the shitty stuff you're obviously tired of.

The usual wheeze for this sort of thing is to identify a role model and try to follow the same steps as they did. I can't, at this moment, think of someone who quit a band in possession of tons of material and successfully put out an album without any live shows. Unsuccessfully, yes: Donna from Elastica, Tim Smith of the Cardiacs, Carl Puttman from Cud etc. They all seem mega-low key and forgettable.

The most logical thing would seem to be to make all your music yourself and just rent musicians for short tours ala Divine Comedy, Edwyn Collins etc, making yourself the centre of the band. Then people would notice you more.

The female Kim Fowley, perhaps, but hopefully more talented: Take it one step further and make it an "indie-rock" boy band. Write their songs and their contracts, be their spiritual "adviser", and generally mack the scene while they sweat onstage.

This concept has some real cultural cash-value. Play it well, and you can buy a home in the Marina. OK, maybe not, but at least a respectable flat in Potrero Hill. (You'll pardon my San Francisco-centric view of the world, s'il vous plait.)

I just wonder if young boyband boys would put up with management and songwriting from a female, though. I suppose I had better make myself hott again, then they might go along with it.

Have you thought about approaching other labels with your press/demos?