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… [Read More]

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… [Read More]

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… [Read More]

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… [Read More]

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… [Read More]

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… [Read More]

One of the great things about Studio Pros is that we hook you up with world-class Los Angeles session musicians to play on your songs. This can be a great resource, particularly for artists who don’t already know too many studio-ready musicians. But when it comes to playing live, you might decide that you want some fellow players to help fill out your sound–especially after you hear the lush new arrangements and full-production treatment that your songs received from us!… [Read More]

It’s too late. It’s too much work. I’m too far behind. I’ll never accomplish what I want. Do any of these excuses sound familiar to you? All too often, people give up on their musical dreams because they think they’re too old, or it’s too late for them to learn the skills they need, or it’s too hard. Life is short, right? That boat has sailed. But thinking like that is self-defeating. There is an ancient Chinese proverb that states,… [Read More]