Zed Leppelin - Project Plan

This is the project scope covering the planning, recording, and mixing of the upcoming 4 song EP by Zed Leppelin.

Zed Leppelin is a Gold Coast based Led Zeppelin cover band who have played up and down the coast for over a decade. They have built up quite a following over the years and this project is an attempt to capture that live energy. The recordings will be used to give to promoters when organising future shows and as a commemorative keepsake for fans and band alike. A consultative approach will be used during our pre-production stage to ensure agreement on all aspects of the production and to manage expectations from both artist and the production team.

Production Team

Adam Higginson - Producer, Liason

Shay Jagger Mitchell - Live Room Engineer

Jaxon Arrundell - Desk Engineer/ Daw Operator

Sam Ludinski - Mastering Engineer

Target Demographic

The target demographic is people who grew up on Led Zeppelin but were too young to see them the first time around. Generally speaking 45-54-year-old, middle class, men. Research has shown that the around 70% of men aged 45-54 listen to classic rock radio and companies that specifically target this demographic advertise on classic rock radio. This is also correct based on the people who come to Zed Leppelins shows and we plan to tailor this product to appeal directly to our target audiences tastes.

20 Radio Station Demographics

Artistic Merit

It could be argued that being a cover band, Zed Leppelin don’t really have any artistic merit. However, much like an orchestra performing classical music, if the source material has artistic merit, then performing it well and as it was intended to be heard, has merit. Led Zeppelin was a band who redefined what rock music was and what it could be, they have had a huge influence on music and popular culture and a band recreating this experience is a worthy contribution to modern culture.

Genre Definition

Led Zeppelin are now largely considered to be a classic rock band. Born out of the British Invasion of the 1960’s, and influenced by young British bands who started to play the blues with a heavier approach, such as The Who and The Rolling Stones, while also having the roots of traditional American Blues artists such as Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Led Zeppelin took this to the next level by bringing a sense of mysticism to blues-based rock music. Drawing influences from traditional folk music and books on fantasy and the occult, Led Zeppelin along with Black Sabbath and Deep Purple paved the way for what would become known as heavy metal.

Led Zeppelin Britannica

Deliverables

The deliverable will be a 4 song EP of the band's live performance recorded using production techniques as used by Led Zeppelin. The songs will be delivered as 44.1, 16-bit WAV files, mixed, mastered and ready for the band to use online and on CD for promotional purposes.

Market Competitors

Zed Leppelin is a Led Zeppelin cover band that takes pride in their shockingly similar covers of Led Zeppelins songs so along with Led Zeppelin themselves; other cover bands, in general, are huge market competitors but Zed Leppelin’s main competition are other classic rock cover bands. Such as Killer Queen (Queen tribute), Cherry Bomb (Runaways tribute), Whole Lotta AC/DC (AC/DC tribute). Having a well recorded and mixed EP will really give Zed Leppelin an edge on their competition.

Constraints

We will perform all the tracking in one 12 hour studio session, booked and confirmed with the band for the 3rd of October. We are aiming to have all the tracking done in this one session as the band members all work full time and are Gold Coast based. We do however have additional time booked the following week as our plan also includes, using direct input initially on the lead guitar/bass and performing some re-amping at this later date to achieve the sound the band is seeking. This extra session will also serve as a contingency in case everything we are hoping to accomplish in the first 12-hour booking is not fully realised. We will also arrange a session for the vocal tracking to be done separately over the following weeks, the singer is very flexible and available. We Aim to have all the tracking done by 28/10/2017, the mixing done by 25/11/2017 and the mastering done by 9/12/17.

Due Dates:

Production Management

We have chosen to use the waterfall method of project management as we want to have a well-documented plan that completes each phase before another is undertaken, but permits changes if necessary. The danger in using this production method is that if one stage is not completed as planned, it can be difficult to return to rectify it. The waterfall method, therefore, requires contingency plans to be put into place, in our case demanding additional bookings (for most importantly the tracking phase of the project), in case the extra recording is needed. The advantages, however, include this management style allowing for technical assistance to be provided by people outside of the management team in between stages. It is also a methodology which clearly communicates vision, intent, and understanding to all stakeholders before each phase, ensuring an effective workflow throughout the entire project.

What Is The Waterfall Model?

Contingency Plan/ Risk Mitigation: