Technology can be a great tool. It can help you come up with your next masterpiece, and it can give you the means of recording your latest creation. And I don’t know about you, but it sure does make me feel warm and fuzzy inside when I buy a shiny new piece of gear for my home studio.
That is, until I plug it in. You see, technology is something of a double-edged sword. Even though buying new gear is really fun, it also means you have to invest a ton of time into learning how to use it well. That’s why the fuzzy feeling starts fading as soon as my new piece of gear is out of the box. I’m faced with the daunting task of the dreaded musical equipment learning curve, something I may have time to get the hang of, but rarely have the time to master.
And there’s the real kicker–even when you get used to using new gear, it still takes a lot of time, experience, trial and error to be able to use it to its maximum potential the way a top professional would. While it would certainly be nice to get to that point eventually, I don’t want to sacrifice the quality of the recording I’m doing now to work towards the goal of great recordings later.
It’s because of this that technology, while seemingly freeing initially, can really put unnecessary limits on your song’s production and ruin your creative process! Talk about a catch-22… Every minute you spend figuring out how to maximize your gear’s potential is taken away from time you could have spent composing, creating, and expanding your artistic horizons.
There is, of course, the obvious solution to this dilemma: put your music in the hands of a professional who already knows what they’re doing with today’s best technology. But that sure sounds easier said than done–it’s not like you can just hand your stuff over to a Grammy-nominated engineer who will mix and master it to radio broadcast standards without forking over your life savings, right?
Happily, I can tell you that you really can do that–and for a lot less money than you’d expect. Studio Pros gets your music into the able hands of Grammy-nominated engineers for a very affordable price, and you get results quickly. In fact, it costs less than most high-end audio gear, so you’re saving money and time for a product you probably wouldn’t get on your own in the first place.
Think about your musical goals. If you want to have a great sounding album of your own, you should do what the top artists do: they don’t buy another keyboard or a new software title. In fact, some of the most successful artists in the world may have never touched professional music gear in their entire lives! They simply hire the best session players, engineers and producers they can find. You can do that too, with the help of Studio Pros. Call today to get started on the album you’ve always dreamed of recording.
We used to think that the best thing about Studio Pros was our roster of world-class session musicians. In fact, I recently wrote a post about how to get the most out of our players and explained why they are such an amazing resource to musicians and songwriters all over the world.
But they’re not actually the thing that musicians like best about our service.
When we asked some of our artists why they love Studio Pros, most of them told us that it was because they don’t need to invest a lot of time when they use us to record their albums.
A lot of Studio Pros artists, like many aspiring musicians and songwriters, have a lot on their plate–families, day jobs, all sorts of obligations that make it really hard to devote a huge chunk of their time to pursuing their musical dreams. All you need to do is read about some of our featured Studio Pros artists to see that most of them don’t start out as professional, full-time musicians. But luckily, none of them let that get in the way of recording the album they’ve always dreamed of making.
Instead of saying, “I just don’t have time to record an album, I have a job and a family so I should just give up on the dream,” these artists said, “I don’t have much time to record an album, so I’m gonna find a way to do it without taking away from paying the bills or spending time with my family.”
And boy are they glad they said that. Because they were proactive, they found Studio Pros and got done what they never thought they could. If these artists had kept saying that they’d never have time to record an album, they’d still be wondering if their music career would ever get a chance.
Some of our clients have been clever about how they fit Studio Pros into their schedules. We’ve even heard stories of some of them working on their production while they were at work–so I guess that means they were technically getting paid to make music! We’re always glad to be a part of that!
If a lack of time is your biggest excuse for not making a great production from your songs, I’m here to tell you that it’s no longer an excuse you have to make. Studio Pros can bring your dreams to reality on your own schedule, without cutting into family time. Call us today to start recording a professional album you’ll be proud of.
If you’re hoping for success in this industry, you might want to take part in a little musical espionage:
If you want to pitch one of your songs to a TV commercial, study the music in every commercial on TV right now and learn it all by heart.
If you want to pitch a song to films, buy the soundtracks for ten films in the genre you’re interested in.
If you want to be at the top of the charts, listen to the top 50 songs every single week. Know the charts so well that if I came to your house and woke you up in the middle of the night, you could tell me what was in the top ten that week. You might try subscribing to this Billboard Hot 100 – Top 50 Songs channel on YouTube–it will provide you with weekly updates on the top songs.
It’s not about copying — it’s about being aware
Knowing what other musicians are doing doesn’t mean you should be ripping off their material. All it means is that you’re doing your best to be completely aware of what’s already out there and, more importantly, what each industry is looking for.
Knowing that today’s action movies like including rockin’ metal songs with heavy guitar riffs is being aware. Knowing that most of the top songs on the charts have auto-tuned vocals is being aware. Once you’re aware of the trends and desires of the music industry, you can tailor your work to fit the scene.
This doesn’t mean you have to comform.
It definitely doesn’t mean you should just copy other artists.
It just means you can incorporate essential elements of today’s music into your own ideas–elements of the music that makes up the current standard for people who are making a living from making music. That’s what we all want, right? The end goal is to make music our careers. And that goal is within your grasp, but only if you keep up with the trends.
Have you ever wondered what makes a song instantly recognizable?
Take a listen to the first five seconds of this song:
How is it that it’s possible to know what song it is just from listening to the first five seconds?
One instrument (acoustic guitar). Two chords. It can’t be any simpler than that, yet it’s unique and easy to remember. How many times have you been to a live concert where the artist starts playing their hit song, and within the first couple of seconds the crowd goes crazy? Why? Because they know what song it is immediately.
In my last post about buying gear, I walked you through what you need to know to buy the perfect acoustic guitar. This time around I’m talking about guitars again, but we’ll be looking at electrics. Shopping for an electric guitar can be a bit overwhelming if you don’t have a good idea of what you’re looking for. Walking into a music store to find 20-foot walls covered in different types of electric guitars is an intimidating sight for the uninitiated. Luckily, I’m here to make sure you’re not uninitiated… Here’s what you need to know before you head to the guitar store.
Find the right price range
Just like with acoustics, the range in prices for electric guitars is about as wide as the grand canyon–from $100 to several thousand dollars. And while you can sometimes get a very nice electric for much cheaper than an acoustic of similar quality, it’s important to remember that you’ll also need to buy an amplifier, so that instantly adds to the price of your guitar (and it’s a topic for a future post).
Unfortunately, the cost of many woods commonly used to make guitars has gone up over the past few years, meaning guitar prices have risen accordingly. American-made guitars in particular seem to have jumped in price. The Fender American Standard Stratocaster, for example, now sells for around $1,000, whereas it used to be closer to $700-800. The Mexican-made counterpart now sells for $500-$700. But a lot of players seek out American-made guitars because they are generally built well–a quality that means the guitars tend to sound better and last longer. Some popular U.S.-made electrics include Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters and Gibson Les Pauls. Other USA companies include Ernie Ball/Music Man, Paul Reed Smith and any number of boutique guitar builders. Many guitars are also made in Japan–Ibanez is a popular Japanese guitar manufacturer.
We’d all love to get played on the radio. I grew up dreaming of hearing my songs on the airwaves, knowing that thousands of people were also listening.
Have you ever wondered why your songs aren’t on the radio? Most of us probably tell ourselves the same excuses–radio doesn’t care about my music, I need to be on a major label to have any hope of radio airplay, and no one listens to the radio anymore, anyway. But if you think this way, you’re selling yourself short. If you remember a recent post I wrote, that’s a self-defeating attitude that will get you nowhere!
The fact is, you could be on the radio. But there are a few things you should know before you start mailing CDs to every station in town.
Unsigned doesn’t necessarily mean un-played
Most of the bands you hear on your local radio station are signed, that much is true. But that doesn’t mean you have to be signed to get played on the air. Most radio stations have a time set aside each week to feature local artists–your best bet is to target these shows first. Find out from the station’s website what their policy is for submitting music, or find the contact information of the DJ that hosts the local show.
Buying new music gear can be fun–there have been very few times that I felt more excited than when I buy a brand new guitar, amp, pedal, or other piece of gear. But along with the excitement can come a lot of other feelings: confusion, frustration, and anxiety over whether you’re buying the right thing. With the price of instruments and gear often so steep, it can be a little nerve-racking to think you might not be spending your money well!
Luckily, with a few simple guidelines you can arm yourself with the knowhow to get an awesome piece of gear for years to come. Today, I’m going to be talking about buying an acoustic guitar. There are literally hundreds of guitars to choose from, so how do you know which is the right one for you? Here are three things to ask yourself when shopping for an acoustic:
What is my price range?
The range of prices for acoustic guitars can run from a couple hundred to a few thousand dollars. That’s a pretty big difference! With that in mind, you can narrow down your choices greatly by specifying what price range you can afford, and what you’re willing to pay. Prices vary depending on several factors, including what kind of wood the guitar is made out of, whether or not it has pickups built into it, where it was made (USA-made guitars tend to be more expensive), and the quality of its construction. You’ll find with most music gear that you get what you pay for, and acoustic guitars are no exception. More expensive models will generally sound and play better and last longer, because more care has been taken in their construction. But be careful what you’re paying for, because some guitars are expensive because of fancy inlays and designs or because they are limited editions.
A friend of mine recently sent me a video compilation of words of wisdom spoken by Will Smith. You might not initially think that a guy like Will Smith–an actor who’s made his name starring in big-budget action blockbuster films such as Independence Day and Men In Black–has a lot of philosophical things to say. And you would be forgiven for assuming any advice he might have to offer would apply to actors much more than musicians (although Mr. Smith is no stranger to the Billboard charts himself, with hits like “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” under his belt).
But this video proves that Will has quite a bit of interesting, practical and inspirational advice.
He says that work ethic goes much further than talent when it comes to making it in the entertainment business. He also believes there is greatness in all of us, and we need to focus on small tasks one at a time in order to complete a seemingly impossible goal–much like laying individual bricks to build a large wall. Smith believes we need to work hard every day toward our dreams in order to get ahead, and that we should all strive to be a positive influence in the world.
But my favorite bit of advice has to do with Smith’s take on the so-called “real world…”
Have you ever been standing in line to get your morning coffee when someone walks in wearing a zipper-laden leather jacket, skin-tight jeans with ripped holes, visible tattoos and a perfectly “messy” hairdo? Of course, the first thing you think is, “that guy is definitely in a band!” If a scene similar to this has ever played out in your life, you’ve been introduced to the world of image. And like it or not, it’s one of the most important aspects of today’s musicians.
I know what you’re thinking–but my music is most important. It’s the music that’s gonna take me to the top. Don’t get me wrong, your music is definitely important. And if you look like a rock star but sound awful, you may have your priorities a little out of whack. But the fact remains that image is a huge aspect of being in a band, and it’s only the image-conscious artists that stand a fighting chance in today’s cutthroat music industry.
Band image has always been around
Image is by no means a new concept for musicians. Back in the ’60s, the Beatles shocked everyone with their “long” hair (mop tops that are tame by today’s standards), “mods” like The Who were wearing tailor-made suits, and Eric Clapton cared about two things: the blues and fashion. In the ’70s, every musician had a shoulder-length hairdo and Led Zeppelin was making open-shirt fashion statements on stage. The ’80s brought us tight leather pants and so much hairspray the ozone cried for mercy, and the ’90s saw the popularization of flannel shirts tied around the waste and baggy jeans.
Even if you’re relatively new to the musician world, you’ve probably heard the term “press kit” thrown around quite a few times by now. A press kit is a package of materials that you might send to record labels, media outlets, venues, etc. that contains all of the pertinent information about your band. But what does that mean exactly? What is and isn’t relevant information?
You’ll want your press kit to follow some basic standards if industry people are going to look at it. Here are a few tips and essentials on putting together the ultimate press kit.
Band Photo
The first thing in your press kit should be a hi-resolution photo of the band (or yourself if you’re a solo artist.) This can be black and white or full color. There aren’t a whole lot of rules when it comes to taking a great band photo (although you might want to stay away from some common clichés such as railroad tracks and brick walls). But you should definitely make sure of at least two things: everyone’s face should be easily seen in the picture, and the band’s “image” should be on display. If you play dark metal music, it might not suit your image to be wearing bright colors and lying in a field of flowers. If you’re an upbeat pop band, it might not fit to be wearing all black and looking dreary. Let your band’s character shine through!
