Steve Luck – Composer

One of the questions I get asked most often is surprisingly simple:

“How do you actually release your music?”

Most people see the finished product. A track appears on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music and everywhere else, accompanied by artwork, videos, social media posts and the occasional concert. What they don’t see is the long list of jobs that sit between finishing a piece of music and sharing it with the world.

As an independent musician, I don’t have a record label, a marketing department or a team of assistants. Like many artists, I wear most of the hats. Composer, performer, recording engineer, producer, mastering engineer, publicist and social media manager all occupy the same desk.

It’s a lot of work, but over the years I’ve developed a release process that helps me stay organised.

Here’s how I do it.

Step 1: Write the Music

Everything starts with the music itself.

Sometimes a piece begins with a piano improvisation. Sometimes it starts with a melody that’s been floating around in my head for weeks. Maybe I will pick a half finished idea from my collection of voice notes on my phone and start to develop it a bit more. Occasionally it arrives fully formed, but most often it’s a process of experimentation, revision and gradual refinement.

This stage is impossible to rush.

I’ve learned that songs and compositions reveal themselves in their own time. The challenge is composing consistently enough in order to hear what they want to become.

Step 2: Record

Once I’m happy with the composition, I move into recording mode.

Because I have my own studio setup, I can work at my own pace. That freedom is both good and bad. If something isn’t quite right, I can come back tomorrow rather than having to keep watching the studio clock. On the other hand I need to push myself to be decisive otherwise I could spend far too long at this stage and in the end maybe not produce anything.

Recording often teaches me things about the piece that writing didn’t. A phrase may need simplifying. A section might need extending. Another section might need more practice! The approach to the performance – the dynamics, the tone, the balance between the hands, the shaping of the phrases all are refined at this point to capture the best performance on that day.

The recording stage is where ideas become reality.

Step 3: Mix and Master

After the recording comes the technical work.

I mix and master my own releases, which means spending a lot of time listening critically, making adjustments and trying to hear the music through fresh ears.

For solo piano recordings I might EQ the sound, perhaps add a little reverb, sweeten with the likes of Oeksound Soothe 2 and the Oxford Inflator as well as adding compression/limiting from Izotope Mastering plug ins to match the levels required for the streaming services.

This is often where I learn the value of patience.

The temptation is always to declare a track finished and move on. In reality, the best decisions usually come after taking a break and returning with a clear perspective.

At some point, though, perfectionism has to give way to completion.

The track is finished.

Time to release it.

Step 4: Build the Release Assets

A release isn’t just audio.

Every track needs a visual identity. My long term go to for this has been the amazing designer Colin Hagan who has produced all of my artwork for several years now. See some more of his amazing work on his website at https://colinhagan.co.uk/

Once the artwork is complete I also need to gather promotional photos and make videos, producing short teasers, creating countdown posts and putting together content for social media. I will have usually video recorded the performance that makes it onto the final recording, so I will almost always have a performance video that I can dub the finished audio recording onto. I then may explore other video ideas like talking to camera about the music or taking shots of nature or anything else that may have played a part in the inspiration for the track. The aim is to have a variety of assets that can be used on social media, on this substack and for press releases.

Step 5: Distribution via EmuBands

For digital distribution, I use EmuBands.

This is the point where the release becomes a real thing rather than just a file sitting on my hard drive.

I upload the audio and artwork, choose a release date, and they take care of delivering the music to the streaming platforms. Before release day arrives, I also set up landing page links and submit the track through Spotify for Artists.

Once that’s all done, the wheels are in motion.

Step 6: Bandcamp and Direct Support

Bandcamp remains one of my favourite platforms. It feels different from the major streaming platforms. It’s one of the places where genuine communities can still form around music. For independent artists, that matters.

Before release day I upload the track, prepare the page and get everything ready for launch.

I also create a landing page so listeners can choose their preferred streaming service and register the work with the PRS. I also register it with my publishers Sentric Music who collect royalties on my behalf when the music is performed in person or online.

Step 7: Playlist Pitching

This is where the promotion work begins in earnest.

One of my main tools is SubmitHub, where I pitch new releases to playlist curators and bloggers. This kickstarts the release with placement on some relevant playlists and lets the algorithm gather some data about how people are interacting with the release.

I also work through my own play lister database and look for playlist opportunities that align with the music. Its a pointless exercise pitching a peaceful solo piano track to a rap playlist or death metal blog!

I’ve learned not to obsess over playlist results. Some tracks connect immediately. Others take months to find their audience. The feedback from some playlist curators can sting a bit so I have learned to largely ignore the comments – good or bad. Also the streaming figures after release go up and down all the time so I have also learnt to ignore the emotions that go with the numbers – elation if a track does well and deflation when they go down again. In the end, its the results that occur when the music has direct contact with listeners that mean the most rather than some arbitrary internet number.

The goal of the promotion isn’t viral success. The goal is giving the music the best chance to be discovered.

Step 8: Tell People About It

This sounds obvious, but it’s something many musicians struggle with.

We spend years learning how to write music and very little time learning how to talk about it.

My release process includes:

• Emailing followers and subscribers.
• Updating social media profiles and bios.
• Posting announcements across multiple platforms.
• Sending press releases and review pitches.
• Reaching out to blogs, magazines and local media.
• Submitting to BBC Introducing.

Promotion isn’t about shouting.

It’s about making it easy for people who might enjoy your work to discover it.

Step 9: Keep Going

This may be the most important step.

Many artists imagine that release day is the finish line.

In reality, it’s the starting line.

The weeks after release are often where the real work happens. Continuing to share the music, finding new audiences, performing the material live and building relationships all matter far more than a single day’s streaming numbers.

Every release teaches me something, improves the process and ultimately becomes part of a larger body of work. If I have learned anything its that sticking around and keeping at it is one of the most important aspects of all of this because of the things that you learn – mostly about yourself.

Final Thoughts

People sometimes assume that independent music is all about creativity.

The truth is that it’s creativity mixed with project management, administration, marketing, persistence and a willingness to keep learning.

The music itself may take days, weeks or months to create.

The release process can be just as demanding.

But there’s also something deeply satisfying about taking a piece of music from the very first idea all the way through to a finished release and knowing that every stage of the journey was shaped by your own hands.

That’s how I release my music.

Not because it’s the only way.

Just because, after a lot of trial and error, it’s the way that works for me. I’m very happy to answer questions about any parts of this process if you would like more information – leave a comment below and I will get back to you.

Steve

Modern classical, contemporary classical, indie classical, neoclassical… nobody quite seems to agree on exactly what to call this music, but over the last decade or so, it has quietly grown from a niche interest into a recognised and increasingly popular genre. Much of its wider profile can be traced to influential artists such as Ludovico Einaudi, Yann Tiersen, Nils Frahm, Ólafur Arnalds and Max Richter, but the scene has expanded considerably and now encompasses a broad spectrum of composers and performers working across the worlds of acoustic, electronic and cinematic music.

Mostly instrumental and often reflective in character, this music typically draws upon classical instruments while embracing contemporary production techniques and influences from ambient, electronic, folk, pop and film music. Sometimes intimate and understated, sometimes expansive and uplifting, it is united less by a particular sound than by a desire to communicate directly and emotionally with listeners. Repetition, atmosphere and melody often take precedence over technical complexity, helping to make the music both accessible and deeply engaging.

I first became interested in this style of music as a student in the late 1980s when I became obsessed with a bootleg cassette copy of the album December by the American pianist George Winston. Here was something I hadn’t heard before – accessible, moving, joyful and a refreshing departure from what seemed at the time to be the rather stuffy world of traditional classical music. Back then it was usually filed under the heading of New Age, a label that perhaps doesn’t do it many favours today. Despite spending much of my professional life working across a wide variety of musical styles – as a classically trained keyboard player in rock and world music bands, as a piano teacher and as a composer for television and film – I have always found myself returning to the aesthetic qualities that underpin what we now tend to call modern classical music.

In 2014 I began composing my own piano pieces and performing them occasionally during Ouseburn Open Studios events. My studio is based in the wonderful 36 Lime Street warehouse alongside dozens of other artists and makers. The music was almost always well received, with visitors frequently telling me how much they enjoyed this style of music and wishing there were more opportunities to hear it performed live.

An idea began to form.

In 2018 I launched the Atmospherica concert series, presenting small-scale, intimate performances in my studio using a recently acquired 1905 Bechstein grand piano. From the outset it was important to champion original music and independent artists, so I decided the series would feature composers performing their own work. At the first event I performed my first full-length concert of original piano music. Other early guests included Simeon Walker and Oliver Brouwer.

As word spread, artists from further afield began to take an interest. Modern classical music has a particularly strong following across mainland Europe, especially in Germany and Scandinavia, where a well-developed network of labels, promoters, festivals and audiences has emerged. Through Atmospherica I had the pleasure of presenting artists including the German piano and cello duo Ceeys (now known as Bruder Selke) and Swedish composers Jakob Lindhagen and Vargkvint.

One of the things I quickly discovered was the generosity of the community surrounding this music. Although many of us work alone for long periods, there is a remarkably supportive network of composers, performers and listeners who are passionate about sharing new music and helping one another reach new audiences.

Alongside the regular studio concerts, I have also performed a series of sold-out solo piano concerts in Newcastle’s Victoria Tunnel, an extraordinary underground space whose atmosphere seems perfectly suited to this kind of reflective music. Since 2018 these performances have attracted well over a thousand audience members and introduced many people to contemporary piano music for the first time.

The studio concerts have continued throughout this period, bringing together a small but growing community of composers and listeners from across the region and beyond. What began as an experiment to see whether there might be an audience for this music has gradually developed into a regular concert series, creating opportunities for composers to meet, perform and share their work with one another.

The Atmospherica series has highlighted just how much creative talent exists within the region. Some names you should definitely check out are…

Philip Alexander

As a child Philip was classically trained on the piano, growing up in his hometown of South Shields. His solo piano music is often melancholy in style but always with a glimmer of hope. Since releasing his debut EP Blindsided, he has continued to build a devoted audience and establish himself as one of the region’s leading contemporary piano composers. https://open.spotify.com/artist/6psaASFD0uE1vuouK5EAlc

Aura Mae

Aura Mae brings a thoughtful, expressive voice to contemporary piano music, combining piano writing with subtle electronics and spacious harmonic language. Alongside her PhD research at the University of Leeds, her work explores how musical ideas from earlier traditions can be reimagined within a contemporary context, resulting in music that feels both intimate and immersive. https://linktr.ee/aura.mae.music

Calum Howard

Calum Howard works across contemporary classical, minimalism, jazz improvisation and electronic music, creating richly textured pieces often influenced by synaesthesia – where sound is experienced as colour and shape. Alongside his work in theatre, production and collaboration with a range of UK artists, his approach blends writing and improvisation in a fluid, responsive way. calumhowardmusic.com

Charlotte Butler

This Sunderland-based pianist and composer produces beautiful piano miniatures, deftly conjuring a variety of emotions in a series of impeccably performed and deeply expressive solo piano pieces. https://www.instagram.com/charlottebutlermusic/

And slightly further afield, from Leeds, check out Simeon Walker, who not only composes beautiful contemporary piano music but also tours extensively across the UK, bringing his music to audiences far and wide. https://www.simeonwalker.co.uk/

One thing that has become increasingly apparent through these events is that audiences are often just as interested in the stories behind the music as the performances themselves. People want to know how pieces are written, where ideas come from and what motivates composers to create. At the same time, many composers are keen to meet others working in the field, share experiences and build supportive professional networks.

These observations have led to the development of a new initiative called Composer Circle, launching in 2027. Building on the community that has emerged through Atmospherica, Composer Circle will bring together composers to perform and discuss their work in an informal and engaging setting. Alongside live performances, audiences will gain a unique insight into the creative process through conversations with the artists about their inspirations, working methods and musical journeys.

The first Composer Circle events are planned for Gosforth Civic Theatre in Newcastle and the Yamaha Music School in Blyth, with further events planned at Alnwick Playhouse. The aim is simple: to celebrate original music, create new opportunities for composers and strengthen the growing network of modern classical artists working across the North-East and beyond.

If you are reading this and are a North-East based composer working in this area, please do get in touch. I would love to hear about your work and see whether there might be an opportunity for you to perform at a future Atmospherica or Composer Circle event. If you are interested to attend Atmospherica concerts and the forthcoming Composer Circle gigs , stay tuned to this Substack for further announcements very soon.

For me, one of the most rewarding aspects of working in this field has been discovering just how many talented composers are creating original music right here in the North-East. What began as a personal creative journey has gradually become something much bigger – a community of artists and audiences connected by a shared love of thoughtful, expressive music. I’m excited to see where the next chapter leads and look forward to sharing more news about Composer Circle and future Atmospherica events in the months ahead.

Steve

On Sale Now

Solo Piano Sheet Music Collection

I’m pleased to have recently released digital sheet music editions of 24 of my solo piano pieces. The collection includes music drawn from across my catalogue and is available to download instantly from my online shop. Whether you’re a pianist looking for something reflective to play at home or a teacher searching for contemporary repertoire, I hope you’ll find something to enjoy.

Browse the collection:
https://steveluck.com/shop/

Piano Club – Monday 6th July, 2pm

The next Piano Club takes place in my studio at 36 Lime Street on Monday 6th July at 2pm. These informal afternoon gatherings bring together piano enthusiasts to listen, chat and discover new music in an intimate setting. Expect live performances, conversation and plenty of opportunities to connect with fellow music lovers.

Tickets:
https://www.ticketsource.com/steve-luck-music

Live in Concert – Berwick Parish Church – Wednesday 15th July

I’m delighted to be performing a solo piano concert at Berwick Parish Church on Wednesday 15th July. The concert is free to attend on a pay-what-you-feel basis and includes interval drinks and canapés. It promises to be a relaxed and welcoming evening featuring music from across my catalogue.

Further details:
https://berwickparishchurch.co.uk/musical-events/

Victoria Tunnel Concerts

Tickets are also now available for my forthcoming Victoria Tunnel concerts later this year. These unique underground performances have become a firm favourite with audiences and offer a rare opportunity to experience contemporary piano music in one of Newcastle’s most atmospheric spaces.

Tickets:
https://www.ticketsource.com/steve-luck-music

I’ve had an interesting conversation with several piano students recently about what makes a memorable melody. It’s one of those questions that sounds straightforward until you start trying to answer it. We can all think of melodies that have stayed with us for years, but explaining why those particular melodies endure is much harder.

One melody I’ve found myself returning to is Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Most people could probably sing at least part of it, even if they haven’t heard it for a while. It opens with that famous octave leap on the word “somewhere” – a bold jump that immediately creates a sense of longing and possibility. What’s interesting is that after making such a dramatic gesture, the melody settles into smaller, more singable movements. It manages to be surprising and familiar at the same time.

When musicians talk about melody, the idea of contour often comes up. Contour is simply the shape a melody creates as it rises and falls. If you were to draw a line following the notes of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, you’d see a series of graceful arches rather than a random collection of pitches. I often find myself talking about contour with students because memorable melodies usually feel as though they’re going somewhere.

Repetition is important too, although perhaps not in the way people sometimes think. Students occasionally write melodies where every bar introduces a new idea. There’s plenty of invention, but very little for the listener to hold onto. The strongest melodies often repeat and develop ideas rather than constantly replacing them. That repetition can be rhythmic as well as melodic. In fact, I think rhythm is what binds a melody together. You can change the notes considerably, but if a distinctive rhythmic pattern keeps returning, the melody often retains its identity.

The more you think about melody, the more you realise it doesn’t exist in isolation. Key, tempo and time signature all influence how we experience it. A melody played slowly can feel reflective and spacious, while the same notes at a faster tempo might feel urgent or restless. A melody in 3/4 moves differently from one in 4/4. Even the performance directions matter. A phrase marked cantabile encourages us to think of singing, while a little rubato can make a melody feel more conversational and human.

As a composer, most of my own pieces begin with a small fragment discovered while improvising. A few notes, a rhythmic idea or simply an interesting shape. Sometimes it develops into something worth pursuing and sometimes it doesn’t. The process still feels slightly mysterious to me.

Which is probably why I never feel I can give a fully satisfactory answer when a student asks what makes a memorable melody. I can point to contour, repetition, rhythm, tempo and all the other ingredients that seem to matter. But I can also think of plenty of examples that break the rules. The question is still interesting precisely because there isn’t a simple answer.

Steve

Some stuff coming up soon you might be interested in…

Piano Club – 2PM -3PM this Monday in my studio in Newcastle. Read about it and book in advance here

I’m playing in Berwick Upon Tweed in July… https://berwickparishchurch.co.uk/musical-events/

Lots of brand new uploads of digital sheet music including all the individual pieces from Homecoming and Be Curious in my website shop

Tickets on sale now for my upcoming concerts in the Victoria Tunnel in October and December https://www.ticketsource.com/steve-luck-music