MAKESHIFT RECORDS

MakeShift Records is the marketing and promotions home for the various artists Sammy and Heath have the privilege of producing. On a very selective basis, certain other artists can participate in a “label affiliation” program under which they receive various degrees of promotional support. Learn more about our “deals” here. Check out the MakeShift Records public web site here.
 

PARADISE WEST STUDIOS

Paradise West Studios is the Southwest’s premier christian recording studio. We use a state of the art Pro Tools HD digital system along with the other standard gear used in the finest studios in the world. We can produce that high quality demo you’ll need to knock on the doors of the majors, or an affordable one to help you get local gigs. And with our experienced engineers and producers, there’s no need to travel to Nashville to produce your full-length album. After visiting the studio web site, click here to learn about the discounted rates provided to all christian artists.
 

MSR PRODUCTIONS

MSR Productions is our artist development division. It caters to those artists who have the vision to produce a major label quality project, whether for demo and shopping purposes or for self-distribution. MSR Pro offers a turn-key solution that takes a project from start to finish, including everything from song-writing assistance and arrangement to final mastering and CD replication. Select artists may qualify for our “Artist Partners” program, where approximately 2/3 of the project budget is deferred and paid from future revenue streams of the artist. Learn more here.
 

PARADISE WEST RECORDS

Paradise West Records is the funding arm of MakeShift Records. On a highly selective basis, Paradise West will make a financial investment to assist an artist with their music ministry project. At the present time, we are only investing in artists with crossover potential in two genres: (1) alternative rock bands; and (2) hip-hop artists. As you can imagine, we have strict criteria, which you can learn more about here.
 

AZXunderground.com

AZXunderground.com is a community service project created and organized by MakeShift Records. The site serves as a “one stop shop” web home for the entire Arizona christian music scene. As believers ourselves, we saw a need for a centralized place for local music followers, indie bands/artists, and those in the industry to congregate, communicate and connect. The site offers artist profiles, concert calendars, forums, lifestyle links, and much more. All Arizona-based artists are invited to take advantage of the free promotional opportunities available on the site, and fellow AZ christian music industry folks are invited to join in. Signing up for the mailing list will ensure that you know all there is to know!
 

AZXradio.com

AZXradio.com will soon provide a streaming radio home for the Arizona  christian music scene. The music of local artists will be featured, and the station will keep listeners completely in tune with what’s happening around the state. The station will be involved with various promotional opportunities such as shows, coffeehouses, artist showcases, live on-air performances, interviews and the like. AZXradio.com will kick off with an on-air “battle of the bands” with listeners determining the winners. The winning artists will share $1000, and listeners can win $50 cash prizes just by voting!
 

RAGE FEST STAGE &
 CRASH COMPILATION CD

Rage Fest Stage provides local indie artists an opportunity to perform alongside some of the top national christian artists at the Rage Music Fest held in January each year in Phoenix. AZXunderground.com is the sponsor of the stage and along with MakeShift Records, determines the stage line-up through a submission process in the Fall. Crash Compilation CD is an annual release featuring the best up and coming bands and artists in Arizona chosen as part of the Rage submission process. With a national christian music industry reviewer, the CD offers serious credibility and exposure to emerging local artists. Past editions have included artists like Stellar Kart, Patrick Andrew (of PFR), JJ Heller, Ever Stays Red, Ricardo Sanchez and Vocab Malone. Visit MakeShift Records for more info.
 

IGNITION SHOWCASE & CONFERENCE SERIES

IGNITION is a national christian artist showcase and conference series with a stop in Phoenix and various other regions, and finals in Nashville. IGNITION is a collaboration of Heath Michael Bottomly, Aaron Rice, and Andy Allen. Showcase judging and conferences are by folks from within the national christian music industry (e.g., Sony/Provident, Gotee, EMACK Music Publishing, and more). The conference portion covers everything an aspiring artist needs to know if they are to be most effective in the christian music market. Learn more here.
 

MARKETING, PROMOTION,
ARTIST MANAGEMENT  & CONSULTING

With all the competition for the music listener’s attention out there, it will take more than just good music to stand out from the crowd.  Successful musicians know the importance of the use of professional assistance and the impact a unified, multi-faceted marketing and promotional plan can have. Using in-house resources or outsourcing to one of our many industry associates, MakeShift Records can assist  with the following essential professional marketing and promotion tools: CD covers, band logos, posters and flyers, merchandise, press releases, band bios, web sites, photography, and music videos. We also offer management and consulting on a select basis. Learn about some of the basics of marketing and promotion on our Amateur FAQ page.
 

ENTERTAINMENT LAWYER

Sammy Ciatu is an attorney whose practice covers entertainment law matters like contracts, copyrights, song licensing, band partnerships and entity creation, record label creation, financing and the like.  His professional network includes accountants, financiers and others in the music industry. Sammy Ciatu’s law practice is of course completely independent of the MakeShift Records activities. Learn more here .