Considering how many remixes are available on this site (500+ and counting - if you haven't heard them all you can start here), you will not be surprised that I advocate the use of remixes for independent musicians. After all Radiohead and more recently Franz Ferdinand have shown the merit of such an approach, even managing to generate new revenue streams in the process.
But let me just remind you of some of the benefits; here are 5 reasons to get mixed up I can think of from the top of my head:
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BUILD CONTACTS: not the most immediate benefit but certainly the most powerful in the end which is why I put it first. Remixers are in demand and you can never tell who will be the next rising star. Imagine having one of your tracks remixed by Justice before they went on to achieve worldwide domination on dance music. And of course it goes both ways: the remix of Simian's "We are your friends" is what set them on this course.
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GET TALKED ABOUT: nothing like a great remix by the likes of Diplo, Boys Noize, Left/Right or Digitalism to get that blog buzz we are all after. It might be difficult to get one of these guys on board (although it is worth a try if you can stir their interest - I'll expand on this another time) but there are plenty of great remixers on the net who will be happy to take on the challenge just for the fun of it.
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IMPROVE YOUR SONGS: however talented you are as a songwriter, chances are good production ideas will make your music sound even better. And since good producers do not always come cheap you can get some interesting ideas this way.
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GET MORE MATERIAL TO SHARE: how long does it takes to write a great song ? Sometimes a few minutes might be enough but recording, producing and mastering it can litterally take years. And there's only so many different demo versions you can upload. So remixes are a great way to have something new to share with your fans.
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SCORE A HIT: ... and who knows, some remixes end up being much, much more successful than the original. One of the best examples is probably BRIMFUL OF ASHA from Cornershop, which was taken to new heights by Fatboy Slim and became a hit in its own right. You can download both versions and listen to the difference: CORNERSHOP Brimful of Asha (original album version) download / CORNERSHOP Brimful of Asha (Fatboy Slim remix) download
Convinced ? Very well ... but where do you start ?
Just tune back in a few days for the 2nd part of this post in which I will give you some more tips and links to the best remix sites.
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