Method
Eight phases. A cycle that starts again.
This is how we organize work with an artist: each phase builds on the one before and feeds the next. It adapts to each project. It doesn't promise results, it measures them.
The cycle
Each phase answers one question.
1. Artistic identity and brand
Who are you as an artist, and what sets you apart?
2. Market research
Who could connect with your music, and what context are you in?
3. Work plan and goals
What do you want from this cycle, and in what order?
4. Recording plan and pre-production
What will you record, with what resources, and when?
5. Recording and music production
Does it sound like what you want to say?
6. Distribution and release
Is everything ready for your music to come out right?
7. Advertising and positioning
How does it reach the right people, and how do you build presence?
8. Evaluation and new cycle
Which goals were met, what did we learn, and what changes?
Phase 8 returns to planning for the next cycle and revisits identity when needed.
Phase by phase
What goes in, what happens, what comes out.
Outcomes are indicative. The agreement with each artist defines which ones apply. This eight-phase grouping is our working proposal: its names and order may change.
| Phase | Inputs | Activities | Indicative outcome | Link to other phases |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Artistic identity and brand | Your music, your story, your references and your current image | Define essence and proposition; identity and brand work | Artistic identity foundation | Sets the criteria for reading the market in phase 2 |
| 2. Market research | Identity foundation; available profiles and metrics | Study audiences, context, opportunities and references | Market assessment | May adjust phase 1 and feeds the goals in phase 3 |
| 3. Work plan and goals | Identity, assessment, available resources and time | Set strategy, priorities, calendar and goals | Roadmap | Defines what gets prepared in phase 4 and what phase 8 evaluates against |
| 4. Recording plan and pre-production | Roadmap and candidate repertoire | Choose repertoire, plan resources, organize sessions and prepare | Production plan | Organizes the sessions in phase 5 |
| 5. Recording and music production | Production plan and prepared repertoire | Create, record and work on the sound | Music project, as scoped | Delivers the material released in phase 6. Music production |
| 6. Distribution and release | Finished project, correct data and credits, planned date | Prepare publishing and distribution | Release plan | Sets the date and destinations that phase 7 promotes |
| 7. Advertising and positioning | Release plan, identity, goals and ad budget | Campaigns, music marketing and building presence | Campaign plan and agreed execution | Produces the data read in phase 8. How a campaign runs |
| 8. Evaluation and new cycle | Goals from phase 3 and data from phases 6 and 7 | Review goals met, lessons and adjustments | Evaluation and updated plan | Returns to phase 3 and, when appropriate, to phase 1 |
On mobile, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
On to the next cycle
Finishing a release doesn't finish the work.
Evaluation isn't a report that gets filed away. It's what rewrites the roadmap for the next project.
- We compare what happened with the goals from phase 3
- We separate what worked from what didn't help
- We update the plan, the calendar and the priorities
- We revisit identity only if the data or the artist calls for it
Inside phase 7
A campaign has its own path.
Advertising and positioning is the phase with the most moving parts. So each campaign follows five steps: assessment, strategy, setup, activation and measurement.
They aren't a separate method. They live inside this phase, and their measurement is what opens phase 8.
With our own artists
The same cycle, two different careers.
We also use this method in the development of Nati Ortiz and Julián Gil. The questions are the same; the answers aren't.
Nati Ortiz
Her cycle starts from a clear identity: violin, Latin and current repertoire, and a live show. Each release goes through the same questions: what to record, for whom, and how to review it afterward.
Meet Nati →Julián Gil
His cycle brings together production, electronic drums and LumiBeat, the instrument he created. Identity and plan help decide which project comes next. His catalog includes Elemental (Deluxe).
Meet Julián →Questions
About the method.
Do I have to do all eight phases?
How long does a cycle take?
Does the method guarantee results?
Where does marketing fit?
What phase is your project in?
Tell us where you are and we'll review it with you.