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recording for theDivine Art group

a guide forartists, composers and

producers

2020(interim update)

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ABOUT DIVINE ARTFor a brief narrative history see our website!

TIMELINE:

Divine Art label founded in England in 1992 Diversions mid price label launched in 1994 1992-2002 operated part time with slow steady growth 2005 acquired Athene Records 2005 launched Historic Sound vintage recordings label 2007 acquired Metier Records 2008 acquired Dunelm Records 2008 acquired Heritage Media (vintage radio drama recordings) 2009 opened office in the USA 2013 head office relocated to Compass Music & Arts Center 2013 Global distribution (CD and digital) with Naxos 2019 acquired Brandon Music Publishing 2019 – our 500th release!

OUR LABELS

Our ‘flagship’ imprint carries music of all ages and in many genres“The Spirit of Music” is our motto

One of the world’s most respected labels for new music includingthe challenging and avant-garde as well as postmodern lyricalworks

Original series devoted to piano (and period square piano)recordings: re-launched for early music and period instruments.

Mid price for reissues and lighter music but also pioneering seriesfor contemporary composers

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RECORDING FOR DIVINE ARTFor more background information see our website ‘Recordingfor us’ page

We do not operate our own studio but work with top engineers andproducers in many countries. Making the recording (including editing) isthe artists’ responsibility but we will recommend engineers if possible,and work with them and you during the recording process.

We work on two bases regarding recordings; the first is the Agencycontract (now widely copied by others. Here, we design, produce,manufacture, distribute and promote the recording on your behalf butyou retain ownership of the entire production subject to appointing ussole trade factors. Rather like self-publishing but with the benefit of anestablished label, Naxos worldwide CD and digital distribution and all thelegal and administrative work and expense taken care of and a veryvaluable PR service.

The second basis is the traditional contract: here we take an assignmentof the recording ownership (but reversible if the company fails or ceasesbusiness) and produce the CD/digital release; depending on the optionschosen, we will supply as part of the package a quantity of CDs and/ordigital ‘dropcards’ and/or agree a royalty on sales.

This leaflet contains summaries of the contracts and options available,but you can ask us for further details or explanations. Remember that inall cases our package assumes delivery of an acceptable audio master.Though we are an ‘artist-led’ company we do have very high standardsand are not interested in vanity publishing.

The first step is to complete and send a Project Submission either on theWord form or online. This is required! Then we can offer a firmestimate based on your preferences and specifications, for examplewhether normal CD jewel case is acceptable (recommended) or whetheryou would want a digipak or other special packaging. We’d also thensubmit a formal draft contract for you to check out and approve.

Please note: contracts are binding legal documents. We try to makethem clear, easy to read and you should ask for clarification of any pointwhich is not straightforward. You may of course take independentprofessional advice as well.

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REVIEWS AND PLAUDITSOur website displays reviews (in full) for each album in our catalog.We can send you our document ‘CRITICS’ which is a complete portfolio ofreview short extracts of all title.

We have a good reputation with music professionals and nearly all of our CDshave resulted from an approach from artists who like the way we work. As oneof our pianists said “to make money from a recording is nice but the importantthing is to get my art onto disc and work with people I am comfortable with”.

We try always to be flexible and accommodating – but also have a business torun, and so if exceptional extra work is requested from our production or PRteams, then it will result in a bill for time spent!

OUR TEAMCEO and head of production/general management:Stephen Sutton (Vermont, USA)

US Finance Director and shop manager:Edna Sutton (Vermont, USA)

Promotion and Marketing (UK/Ireland):Margaret Skeet (London, England)

Promotion and Marketing (USA and rest of world):Ali Khan (California, USA)

Social Media / Web development:David Weuste (Texas, USA)

COMPANY STRUCTURE:UK: Divine Art LimitedRegistered office: 176/178 Pontefract Road, Cudworth, S72 8BETel: +44 203 239 9088 (Skypephone to US office, UK local tariff)Correspondence/press and marketing:Margaret Skeet PR, 70 Connaught Road, London E4 7AP

USA: Diversions LLCMain office: Compass Music & Arts Center, PO Box 418 (333 Jones Drive),Brandon, Vermont 05733Tel: +1 802 247 4295

Both companies share the trading names of Divine Art, Métier, Athene,Diversions, Historic Sound and Heritage Media. Diversions LLC also tradesas Compass Music & Arts Center and Brandon Music.

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Summary of major terms

1. Our service (all contracts)

Includes:

Full CD booklet/packaging design service Coordinated design, full color booklet and CD label, no

shoddy or cheap packaging. Obtain mechanical copyright licences (EU, USA and others)

and pay all mechanical royalties due Allocate barcode and International Standard Recording

Codes Arrange pressing of CD/SACD/DVD, printing of booklets and

inlays, and packaging of product Prepare separate digital album booklet and iTunes booklet Provide initial stock to artist (no handling charge) Distribute review and promo copies (subject to handling

charge on Agency contracts) Supply stock to distributors worldwide (no charge) Store stock and provide further copies to artist (subject to

handling charge) Place digital (SD and HD) version on iTunes, Amazon, Apple

Music, Qobuz, Primephonic and many more Promote recording on Divine Art website, Amazon

(worldwide), Arkiv.com (USA), Klassik.com (Germany), etc. Sample tracks/extracts on YouTube Issue press releases – as appropriate Paid advertisements in selected music journals Artist profile page at divineartrecords.com

Optional at extra cost:

Commission programme notes Commission or acquire artwork Obtain translation of notes & texts Locating/recommending producer/engineer/venue Assisting with editing audio Preparing production master, encoding ISRC and CD Text data Additional advertising and promotional work Provision of digital dropcards for concert sales and promo use

Note: all references in this guide to ‘CD’ include where relevant SACD, DVD,Bluray and vinyl – all physical media formats.

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2. Advertising and promotion

We place a regular bimonthly ad in Gramophone, Musical Opinion and BBCMusic (UK), MusicWeb, and Fanfare (USA) in which we can feature up to 5new releases. We can also arrange additional dedicated ads if required.Our PR team will send out a preliminary press release when we agree a newproject; send out news of releases; send out promo copies; work with ourdistributors; manage our social media channels and aim to secure featurearticle and interviews. We can also arrange bespoke advertising and otherpromotional opportunities at cost to be agreed. You may also receive aninvitation to buy an editorial interview and extra ads by Fanfare magazine

3. Other optionsAll costs will be made clear and agreed before we proceed, subject to certainvariables. However this does not prevent changes to the requirements later.Of course, if you think we can help you in any other way, please ask! We areyour partners and want to do all that we reasonably can to get your recordingpublished. Please note that we do not act as management agents, or getinvolved in arranging live performances. Neither do we offer a free unlimitedPR service.

4. Costs and specifics (Subject to formal contract)

AGENCY contract:Basic package fee for single CD £4950 or equivalentOwnership of recording stays with you – licensed to us for 10 yearsYou own finished CDs but appoint us sole worldwide sales agentsWe pay you all net sales proceeds of CDs less a sales commission of £1.50 +20% (or euro/dollar equivalent)We pay 50% gross digital income (= approx. 70% net income; no deduction ofgeneral overheads)We provide agreed initial quantity of CDsOptions regarding cost of mechanical royalty due to composer or publisherFurther CDs supplied to you and for promotional use: we charge handling feeof around half our actual costRe-pressing: range of options offeredDigital ‘dropcards’ available within package or as an extra

TRADITIONAL contract:Basic package fee for single CD around £2100 / $2600Ownership of recording assigned to usWe provide agreed initial quantity of CDDigital ‘dropcards’ available within package or as an extra.Further CDs available to buy at special ‘artist price’We carry all cost of promotional work and mailings, mechanical royalty andfurther printing/manufactureWe pay royalty of 15% net income from all Sales (physical, digital, streaming)for a fixed period of 10 years from month of release (waiver of royaltyavailable for £200 / $250 discount

ALL contracts:We control sync and licensing and pay 50% of any income from licensing.You provide (usually) program notes, biographies, photos for the booklet andany other data and items we need and you can suggest cover art design.

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What we need from you (summary)First stages:1. Completed Project Submission – so we can prepare contract2. Signed contract – the project is now live!3. Information for preliminary press release

Audio1. 24-bit 44K HD audio minimum (wave file set. Higher resolution

preferred (many sellers require 96K minimum)2 DDP CD master (or SACD/DVD equivalent where appropriate) - we

can make this if need be3. Preference is for DSD/HD recordings4. subject to approval of recording/performing quality – no vanity projects

Booklet1. Programme notes on music/composers2. Artist biographies and photos3. Suggested cover art design (optional) – all artwork is merged into our

corporate general design, For ‘series’ recordings we will provide thedesign

4. Details of credits for engineers, sponsors (and sponsor logos)5. For all texts to be printed make sure you have the author’s / publisher’s

consent in writingNOTE: Make biographies interesting – not just long lists ofcollaborators, teachers and venues. Photos should be high quality.Booklets over 24 pages will be printed on thinner, lower quality paper

Support1. AT LEAST one promotional video for social media and online use –

professional or on phone; recording sessions, interviews, just talkingabout the album

2. Regular updates on your concert dates3. Active social media promotion4. Subscribe/follow our YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter; play

our Spotify playlists 24/7 (you can mute them)!5. Follow our best practice guidance on other aids to sales

NOTE: Albums don’t sell themselves and there are few shops to browse in..Success is only possible when everyone involved is spreading the word…

OTHER SERVICESUsually, musicians make their own arrangements for choosing a recordinglocation, engineers and producers, and we get involved when the masterrecording is nearly finished. But we can help in sourcing these services.

Then we can arrange or help to arrange booklet notes (and translations). Ofcourse we charge a reasonable fee for such work. We normally insist onmanaging the booklet design but again this is always done with the fullinvolvement of the performers. In most cases, the artist/composer will providefull programme notes.

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“JOINT BADGING”

We do insist upon all CD packing conforming to our corporate style, but thisleaves a great deal of flexibility, so we can work with your preferreddesign/artwork. Also, for independent producers, ensembles or artists whowish to create their own imprint within the Divine Art catalog, we are happy todiscuss a joint-badged project.

TIMESCALESWe always have a busy schedule of releases planned, so please do notexpect us to take a new project on and arrange a full commercial release in avery short time – of course we will do all we can to help, but we can onlyrelease so many titles per month. We do not usually release in August orDecember.

Our distributors require finished stock at least six weeks prior to the releasedate, in order to promote the CD to dealers, and we have to supply completedaudio masters and artwork to the digital distributors more than two monthsprior to release, so as a general guide, we are usually “fully booked” forreleases for at least four months ahead.

FAQQ. What is a digital dropcard?A. A credit-card lookalike which contains a single use download code sothe holder can download the album. Designed to match CD cover.Q. I am in the UK/EU. Do I have to pay VAT on top of the fees?A. Currently (2020) all contracts are made with our US office - and allservices are supplied from there – so there is no VAT. But VAT ispayable on later supplies of CDs etc sent from our warehouse.Q. CDs are almost obsolete – can I have a digital-only album?A. Yes but we believe strongly that real collectors will want CDs foryears to come and our policy is always to have a physical format. Digitalalbums still require all of the work and expense apart from printing. Wecan discuss options.Q. I concentrate on core repertoire and ‘essential classics’. Will you want torelease my album?A. Our mission is to record and promote new and unfamiliar music,rediscovered ‘lost’ works – first recordings wherever possible.Outstanding performances of established classics are fine but not ourprimary focus.Q. I want a vinyl album. Is that possible?A. Yes, though it’s far more expensive than CD, requires much moretime in setting up and has very limited markets. We can quote.Q. What about SACD and surround sound recordings?A. Again – much more expensive. We can quote for SACD, Blu-rayaudio and other formats but remember these have very small markets.

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NEWA potentially valuable addition to an artist’s toolkit is the digital albumdropcard: a credit card lookalike which carries a one-off download code for analbum; these can be used as promotional handouts or sold at concerts; thedigital album booklet is included. We design these to match the CD and coverall of the composer royalty and other liabilities. If included in a new projectcost, we discount the cost by 25%.

YOUR NEXT STEPIf you are interested in working with us and wish to become a “Divine Artist”please complete and send to us the Project Submission Form sent with thisdocument – if we have not supplied one, we can post it to you or send it byemail – or it can be downloaded from the website. Please also enclose a briefCV and any other information you consider relevant.

Also tell us about your proposed concerts or broadcasts. If you already have amaster recording, tell us but please do not send it until we ask.

If we like your idea, we will work out the cost of the job, after we havediscussed the details. Options such as extra advertising and promotionalwork can be discussed and priced as appropriate. We try to make the processas easy as possible even though, having our offices in Vermont, we can’toften meet potential recording artists personally to discuss proposals. But wecan work with you by email, Skype and telephone; this is more usual, and wework regularly with musicians we have never met!

Email to: stephen@divineartrecords.com

or mail forms to

Divine Art Record Company (A&R),PO Box 418(333 Jones Drive)Brandon, VT 05733, USAphone +1 802 247 4295

Musicians in UK / Europe may send toDivine Art A&Rc/o 70 Connaught AvenueLondonE4 7AP(no personal callers)

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SUMMARY

HELP US TO HELP YOUPublishing a recording is no guarantee that it will sell - no matter how good itis. We work hard to promote all our titles, but for any album to sell, we needyou to play your part in getting the word out.

1. All new recordings must be supplied in HD 24-bit studio quality, 96Kor better preferred.

2. You should inform us (well in advance) of all concert and recitalengagements so we can post and promote them.

3. You should subscribe to the Divine Art youtube channel and regularlyview our sample tracks (in FULL) – this raises the label’s profile andearns!

4. Create an artist profile on Spotify and build playlists including one ofyour tracks and other suitable pieces

5. DO NOT upload whole albums or even works to sites like YouTube,Soundcloud etc. If anyone can hear it for free they will not buy it! Wesupply one track (or extract) usually not exceeding 5 minutes duration,to our YouTube channel for promotional purposes. Other online samplesshould generally not exceed 90 seconds. PLEASE NOTE: Full albumsare uploaded to YouTube by our distributors but these earn revenue andare authorised.

6. Establish a Facebook presence, link to us and Like the Divine ArtRecords page, ‘friend’ us and become part of the family.

7. Make a short (5-10 minute) video related to your album – perhapstaken during the recording sessions (even on a phone) or a polishedprofessional promo – it’s all good, and helps to establish views onYouTube.

8. Ask friends to post a review to their local Amazon page. Positive (andgenuine) reviews from Amazon customers really do help. The reviewerneed not have bought the album from Amazon as long as they have anAmazon buyer account.

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APPENDIXExample of composite advertisement for new releases(Fanfare Magazine Jan/Feb 2020).

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Example of composite advertisement for new releases( Gramophone July 2019)

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Examples of cover designs

Divine Art DDA25033

“Tzigane”

Anthony Goldstone

“Pianist” magazine CD of the month

Design: Stephen SuttonCover art licensed from artist

Divine Art DDA25035

Arnold: “The Return of Odysseus” etc

The Orchestra of Scottish Opera,The City of Glasgow Chorus

Design: Stephen SuttonCover image licensed from gallery

Diversions DDV24154

British Music for Piano Duo

Goldstone & Clemmow

Design: Stephen SuttonComposite of several originalimages

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Divine Art DDA 25101

“Beyond the River God”harpsichord music

Assi Karttunen

Design: Stephen Sutton

Metier MSV28570

Marcus BluntOrchestral music

Manchester Camerata

Design: Stephen Sutton

Divine Art dda25099

Terzetti

The Debussy Ensemble

design: Stephen SuttonPhoto by Dan Evans

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Example inlay:

Athene ATH 23203

Great Violins, vol. 1

Peter Sheppard Skaerved

Design : Stephen Sutton

Example inlay:

Divine Art DDA 25188Lydia Kakabadse: Ithaka

Design: Stephen Sutton

Example inlay:

Divine Art DDA 25113The Operatic Pianist

Showing one of our traycardlayouts.

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This brochure is issued by:

Diversions LLC, trading (inter alia) asDivine Art Recordings Group

Compass Music & Arts CenterPO BOX 418 / 333 Jones DriveBrandonVT 05733, USAPhone: + 1 (802) 247 4295

Email: info@divineartrecords.com

UK registered office:Divine Art Limited176-178 Pontefract RoadCudworthBarnsley S72 8BETel: +44 (0)203 239 9088(skype phone to voicemail at USA office –calls charged as if made to London)

Email: info@divine-art.co.uk

www.divineartrecords.com

thttp://www.facebook.com/DivineArtRecordingsGroup

Contact: Stephen Sutton (managing director) AR1(2020)