Project Proposal

Project description (what is the project)

This technology project will be focused mainly around the creation and technical aspects needed to build and run a successful record label. This project is not about setting up a business, nor will it include pages and pages about the music industry. It will however, focus on the technology involved in the process, such as audio and video recording equipment, editing techniques and music distribution methods. The ‘Product’ will consist of an artist, or a various number of artists that will be recorded in a studio using recording equipment and editing techniques, these recordings will be pressed to a CD and available to download on the internet. The artist(s) will also appear on a music video recorded by myself that will be included on the EP. Ideally, there will be a launch evening to create more exposure and profit for the product, which will be planned and engineered by myself but this is not as high a priority as the EP and video as the launch will not involve as much technological aspects.

There will be various other features in the project, such as comparative evaluations of situations or techniques currently effecting Independent Record Labels. One example of these discussions is the differences between Internet downloads and sales from record stores. Although ‘success’ can be a very subjective concept, in this project, it will be measured by how much profit is made by the product as a result of album/ticket sales etc, as this will be a direct correlation to how popular the product is with the key demographic.

 There will also be a blog to document the progress of the project.

Project rationale (why you are doing the project, what are the intended outcomes)

This project has been chosen as it will help to ascertain some greater understanding on the way in which hearing impairments have an effect on how audio is perceived. It is also for this reason that the simulation is going to be created. Hopefully, by creating a simulation which will show and explain to users how hearing is effected by hearing impairments, the users will gain a greater understanding of how sufferers are affected and to give a greater understanding of the differences between the simulated and unaffected audio. By doing this, the user will have a better understanding of their hearing abilities.

Project context (how will the project build on analysis and research)

To get a better idea about what there was to plan for, a look in to current Independent labels that exist on the internet was the first step. A label that has always been inspiring to many has been Sunday Best. They specialise in promoting a collection of eclectic artists and imaginative live shows and it’s their ‘anything goes’ policy that will hopefully be replicated throughout the duration of the project. As their website is currently inactive, their facebook page has been a close substitute, as it is full of updates explaining what they’re planning for the label, which has been very useful.

Other useful sources so far have been books and websites dedicated to how independent record labels are built and run, there are also companies that can be paid to set labels up and will act as a host for the music that needs promoting, etc.

From now on, the aim is to keep in touch with people who have had experience in creating a project such as this one, and to find out as much as possible so that the launch of the EP is as successful as possible. Similarly, research into mistakes people have made in the past, within the recording industry, will be extremely useful also. There is also a plan to involve as many outside clients as possible, such as other universities or educational outlets. It will be extremely useful to converse with students who are planning similar projects to improve the success of this one. 

Project evidence. How will the product be submitted and evidence of its quality provided.

Two copies of the project product will be submitted on a CD and two on DVD, which will evidence and document the EP and Music Video but also footage from the live show and any extra features necessary. Two versions of the report will also be handed in which will include information for the website and any additional features.

Project deliverables, scope and parameters (how will the project be made, what is its range and boundaries)

The project will consist of recording an EP and shooting a video and these will require mixing and editing. Then they will need presenting at a live show involving live sound engineering. The whole project will require extensive research, promoting and documentation. Its range could potentially be vast, continue past the deadline and go on to become an extremely successful project. As far as parameters, an obvious one would be if the project were not successful in the eyes of people who are involved and according to profit. It’s possible that the project will be limited by the amount of artists that are involved and if the best performance cannot be captured. Financial constraints may also be a factor.

Project evaluation (how will you form a critical judgment about what the project has achieved, what evidence will support the project’s success)

As previously mentioned, ‘success’ is a very broad concept, with several different definitions; therefore the success rate of this project will be measured firstly by profit. This figure will be compared to that of amounts made by labels in a similar situation, with similar artists who have attempted the same targets, etc. However, not all success can be determined by sales, so during certain stages of the project, there will be questionnaires, and other forms of interactive research conducted to establish how the EP and other project content is received. For example, is the album ‘a hit’? Do people understand the intent of the project? Does the final project correlate well enough to the original plan? And so on. The plans for this project will undoubtedly develop and change during the time it takes to be completed however, and changes from this original brief will be explained and critiqued in the final report.