Post No. 1 - 331 Days to go

Can a musician with no gear record and mass-market a professional quality album for under $500?

     The question above has been nagging me for years and after many hours of searching the internet, I still do not have a definitive answer. Thus, as a service to the world at large (or, perhaps, just to satisfy my own curiosity) I will try to find the answer on my own. My preliminary procedure is as follows...

I Will:
- Pick out 12-15 A Cappella arrangements of my favorite christmas songs
- Get the necessary rights to record and distribute them
- Purchase my own recording equipment (sans my existing computer)
- Record using only what I've purchased (and the computer)
- Have my album mastered by a professional
- Distribute the album over iTunes and other major music stores
- ALL for under $500.

     Because this sort of project has a tendency to expand to years in duration, there will be a time limit from the start. I will release the album on Black Friday, Nov 25th, 2011.

     I will regularly update this blog with a walk-through/journal of what I do and learn along the way so that anyone can follow this site and release an album of their own. In the right column, I will post my gear as I acquire it and keep track of my expenses. So far, I can only foresee one setback. As a newly-wed full-time college student, I do not have $500. I guess I will jump that hurtle when I get to it...


And now it's off to find arrangements and buy my equipment.
Enjoy!
~Ben