How long does it take to prepare for an album or special?

When to start reaching out to venues, breaking down your set prep and more!

If you haven’t seen it yet, I had a wide ranging conversation with Katie Boyle, Candi Clare, Mike Finoia and Andy Fiori about albums and specials this summer. There’s plenty to learn in there, but this isn’t just a rehash of that conversation. Since then, I’ve had numerous conversations with comedians about breaking down album prep into an explicit timeline and To Do list. So, that’s where this newsletter will focus. Though there’s a healthy dose of opinions on philosophical musings as well.

Album, EP or Content?

Before you start planning… what even are you planning?

The 45-60 minute album/special is the traditional format. Some of that exists only because of pre-digital technology like a record, CD or television timeslot. But that doesn’t make it obsolete! An hour is nice chunk of material that can do a good job representing a concrete segment of your career and life.

However, EPs are becoming more popular. Material-wise, it can allow you to stay focused on a single topic, whether that’s something that doesn’t necessarily flow in a full hour, something that’s especially niche or something topical with an expiration date. Logistically, you don’t need a full hour to submit tracks to Sirius and it can be much easier to prep for and record.

For both a full length or shorter album/special, you do want to make sure you actually have the material, it reflects well on you, and you’re saying something interesting and unique. To paraphrase Candi from our conversation, it shouldn’t just be a box you tick off. Some people don’t record their first album for 10 or more years.

But content is king and you don’t have ten years to wait when gatekeepers are still looking at your TikTok stats before they decide to work with you! Now it feels like everyone is recording something all the time - they might just be looking to beef up their YouTube presence with a 20+ minute video or have a well-filmed set to cut into clips for the next few months. This doesn’t especially apply in those circumstances, but read on, there might be a gem for you here and there!

Timeline

Here’s a sample timeline for keeping a handle on both the organizational and artistic parts of your special.

Of course it’s just a general guide, though I cannot emphasize how strongly I feel you should not record during the summer! I also don’t love December. You may be tempted because the clubs are always so full, but those crowds can be a bit too full of holiday cheer and it’s better to use that window of plenty to work on your material rather than commit it to posterity.

Labels

As mentioned in the video and a previous newsletter, you’re going to need to work with a label to get played (and make money!) on Sirius. I think Andy Fiori made a great point that the right label for you is the right label for you, so here’s the most common labels comedians are using these days so you can explore them all!

Random Links

This week I learned that marshmallows originally were made from a plant called a “mallow” that grows in literal marshes!
BABIES GO THROUGH PUBERTY!!! 😱😱😱 It’s why babies who are born with a full head of hair go bald!
This one’s a pretty long video essay, but really fascinating look at why sci-fi writers could imagine jetpacks and holodecks but basically no one predicted text messaging or FacetIme.
I live in the neighborhood with that restaurant that went viral last week for hacking Goggle Maps by renaming itself “Thai Food Near Me.” I remember telling a friend something seemed shady about how it closed and reopened under this new name. I had assumed it was tax evasion or skirting a health code (so I’ve never eaten there - my Thai place has a normal name), but it was just trying to outfox the algorithmic overlords. Gotta respect that.