1. A detailed external market analysis

Leeds based noise rock band, Imaginary Husband’s debut EP, Towards Cleaner Bodies, is their biggest project for the band, as they are an independent band, with no record label and work on promotion and marketing as a group themselves. With the band releasing their material through the digital distributor, DistroKid is their main source when it comes to releasing their EP to the masses, and with them being independent, they’re effectively cutting out the middleman without the need for a label and splitting royalties with one another five ways for each band member. They have had prior experience releasing their music independently through this service, when releasing their debut single It’s The Little Things, which included a B-side, Pang. Since they are not signed onto any label and have no real support backing them from an A&R perspective, the band have contacts with people within West Yorkshire, to help make this big project of theirs a reality. The plan for the EP is to finalize the master recordings of the four tracks that are a part of their project and then do a semi-tour to promote said project, that will start before the release date and will release during the leg of the small tour. Prerelease, the band are drumming up attention for said EP, via music press release, with independent news outlets and blogs in Leeds. With these outlets helping spread awareness to the public about their upcoming project, they’ll be able to gain more attention and potential consumers. An aspect that the band want to achieve is to gain more followers that outside of the West Yorkshire area. They want to expand their fanbase to areas outside of where they’re based, and with this EP and the planned promotion both prerelease and post release, this plan can lead to a much wider recognition to a national level, while not large, but still a higher and quite achievable status.

2. A realistic and achievable project timeline

For the band’s EP, it is set to be released on streaming platforms on July 3^rd. With this release being months away, this gives us time for the final mastering and mix of all four tracks on the EP, making sure that quality is at a standard that would be suitable for the average consumer. We’re currently awaiting the final mastering of this project, and are making sure that it is ready a month and half in advance, before the initial release date, as the band will be able to promote the EP and have fans pre-save their debut EP. The band are in the process of having live shows booked at venues within different ridings of Yorkshire, such as Sheffield, York, Leeds, as well as outside of that area, with places such as London and Middlesborough. During their shows within Yorkshire, their debut EP will have released in the middle of their array of gigs. The band have booked these shows themselves, but to help manage their scheduling and taking a load off their already heavy back, they’re going through the process of hiring a booking agent, helping with any further shows that they may want to plan post-release. Since they’re working to quite a short deadline, the gigs have been booked as soon as possible, and similar to the EP being finalized with its mastering, we are now we’re waiting for confirmation, before the gigs are announced and promoted to their audience and the entire public.

3. Detailed royalties’ collection research

The band members all share songwriting credits for all the material that they do together. With that, they’re signing up to PRS, to collect their performance royalties when playing their new material at live shows, as part of their marketing for their upcoming EP. They’re also signing up for MCPS, since the EP is being distributed to digital streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer etc. It is vital they are signed up to both of them before releasing their new project, as if you “miss out on the mechanicals, and you can miss out on a hefty proportion of your royalty income” [Musician’s Union, 2025] They’re also, while not confirmed, considering getting their EP pressed for on twelve inch vinyl records, via Leeds based record label, Private Regcords, as guitarist of the band Aleks Juljanski has connections with the founder of the label, James Vardy. Signing up to MCPS not only covers their income from digital sales, but will also cover physical sales, as the priority of MCPS helps cover the royalties when their recorded material is reproduced on different services. Finally, they will be considering signing up to PPL, the service that will collect royalties from their recorded music being played in public, online or broadcasted networks, such as Television or Radio. While still underground, signing up for PPL can be a good opportunity, as the band can claim income if their songs get played on the radio, with shows like BBC Introducing thrives off new music from up and coming artists, and PPL will provide the royalties through radio shows that allow all kinds of artists to submit their music for exposure, as radio play “creates buzz” [Jesse Bernard, 2021]

4. A draft artist management contract

I have attached a contract above that is being signed by the band and myself included. I have redacted any personal information as is standard when sharing any form of documentation, but the clauses in the following document public. The contract covers an important aspect, which is the gross income being split between the manager and band. The percentage split in this contract is set to a fifteen percent split rate, as a percentage of fifteen to twenty split is commonplace for artists that are new and developing. While the band have already built an image in their local area, with their plan to expand their horizons, it’s appropriate that the percentage rate for splitting the income is low. However, within the clause of the agreement, the split rate to be adjusted is open for negotiation, if the band were to achieve a further career in the near future. Of course, the income given to the band would split evenly between the members. This part of the agreement, with members earning more than the other isn’t open for negotiation, as the members are already splitting songwriting and composition credits equally amongst each band member, and their gross income should be treated as such. The term for this contract is for three years, typically seen on other artists’ contracts, while some artists may prefer a “short trial period”, which can be a much more shorter term, ranging from three to six months, before the contract has expired between the two parties. [Lale Kemal, 2016] Another highlight from the contract is the Power of Attorney, meaning the manager can sign contracts on the band’s behalf, which may become handy if through the process of marketing their upcoming EP, the band may attract executives from record labels that would show interest in signing the band.

5. Suitable artwork and design

While the artwork is not finalized this very moment before it’s due release date, the cover design for the EP follows a similar art direction to the cover of their debut single. The following artwork is meant to follow a similar abstract and slightly minimalistic style, as part of their brand image as a band. Their marketing is fairly straight forward, since they strive for a very simplistic look in terms of visuals. This perfectly contrasts the music, as it’s quite punky and noisy. With the image and music clashing with one another, it has a unique aspect to it, in that new listeners wouldn’t know what to expect when seeing an artist with a very straight forward, clean and simplistic art direction.

6. A suitable online marketing strategy

In order to drum up hype and build attention for the upcoming EP, they’re planning to contact and directly message local news outlets and blogs that are in Leeds that help spread awareness for the up and coming music artists in the area, with outlets such as Content Nausea and Stub Quartley, who thrive off new releases from the Leeds music scene and cover a wide array of genres. With press coming in from these outlets, they plan to work with Contact Buzz, who work with artists to record Lo-Fi, stripped down versions of artists’ material, and then all recorded to cassette tape. Since Imaginary Husband have worked with them before and already have established connections with Jamie Haddington, the main operator of Contact Buzz, it would be a great way to promote the upcoming release with a naked version of an otherwise noise rock sound. Similar to the recording session with Contact Buzz, the band are planning to do a live twenty minute performance at Eiger Studios on May 10^th, which will be filmed and mastered, then released some time before the EP, further building the hype around their big project, with this studio session being a part of the In The Ring. Working with these local institutions would allow them to grow an already established reputation further in West Yorkshire; by communicating with these contacts, they have had for a while and help promote their biggest project yet, as this is the band’s first Extended Play that they are self-releasing, without being signed to any label. Since the release date is set and the EP is being released in a month and half, the announcement will come three weeks in advance on their social media pages, giving time for people to go through the process of pre-saving the EP on their preferred streaming service. This part of marketing, typically seen in releases for albums and extended plays, as it’s grants listeners access to new music the day it is set to be sold to the public, building notoriety on a new release and spreading awareness.

7. All relevant supporting materials

A key aspect to take into account with this plan is the budget gone into both the creation and of the project and some of the shows outside of West Yorkshire. To have the four track EP recorded, mixed and mastered to a professional standard had cost the band six hundred pound, and being independent, the money came from the band themselves, rather than a label help fund for this. In order to save money and not go over the top with the budget to promote this album, the band are planning to work with promoters, meaning booking their gigs for the tour will not come at a cost. The budget would be spent elsewhere for the tour, with the cost of fuel for travel and food as well. Being a small band, corners have to be cut in order to have this plan be successful and have the payoff that it will. Below this portfolio, I have attached two tracks that are planned to appear on the upcoming EP, demonstrating the band’s musical style that is being marketed. While these aren’t the final master recordings, they perfectly showcase the band’s musical chops.

Bibliography

Bernard, J (2021) Does Getting Played On The Radio Still Matter? Available online: https://www.udmusic.org/blog/guide/does-getting-played-on-the-radio-still-matter/

Kemal, L (2016) Management contracts: Key tips and tricks. Available online: https://shesaid-so.medium.com/management-contracts-key-tips-and-tricks-4c66fde01136

Musician Union (2025) MCPS for Songwriters and Composers. Available online: https://musiciansunion.org.uk/career-advice-events/career-development/career-guides/working-relationships/mcps-for-songwriters-and-composers