Why You Should Care About Your Image

Why You Should Care About Your Image

Innovative and successful artists need to capture their audience and time period to be remembered any genre’s hall of fame. Artists often get more recognition and commentary on their style and image even than their music. Audiences are either captivated and copy their musician idol or are fascinated to see what they will come out in next (or both). For artists that have not hit “the big time” it is even more crucial to find an image that stands out and your audience remembers.

Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj both on iTune’s top ten singles right now (as of Feb 21,2012) are flooded through tabloid magazines and blogs to capture what outrageous thing they will wear next. The have mirrored image success from veterans like Madonna whose image is as valuable as her music. Viewers mirror their favorite musicians. Thousands of girls dressed up like Lady Gaga for Halloween decked in leotards, shoulder pads, and jeweled sunglasses, just as millions have put on gloves, bustier tops and piles of jewelry fashioned to be like Madonna.

Time changes and you see masters of image change throughout their albums and years passing, always surprising and captivating their audience. We have seen Gaga in everything from a meat dress to being carried while inside an egg. Even the Beatles seemed to change their look with every new album from suits and matching hairstyles to beards and hippy vests they captured the world with not only their music but also their image.

It is important to be natural and incorporate your style of music. Creating a buzz about your look cannot sustain just by shocking viewers. Madonna has created pop and dance music, and we have seen that reflected in hear early years to even her later albums in leotards and wristbands; it matches her music. There is a necessary balance between being original and being true to your music genre. Find your personal style, stick with what you are comfortable and feels right, because it becomes various obvious to your viewers when you feel awkward. Do not chase after trends or mimic what has already been done, just focus and intensify your look.

As an up and coming artist it is important to develop your look to brand yourself for your online existence for audience attachment. Your image is not just about the clothing you wear, but needs to reflect in everything you do from logos to your social media pictures. Your image is your brand, it is how you are recognized and encrypted into the world’s mind.

Inside The Mind of an A&R

A&R

Inside the Mind of an A&R

Everyone these days is an artist. I’m pretty sure my mailman has an album coming out. Technology has saturated the market to a point of redundancy and monotony. This, fueled by a singles-driven market causes record labels to become weary of investing in unknown acts (understandably so). Any artist should have; hit songs, consistent shows lined up, a great following, independently moved units, radio play and/or impressive YouTube numbers.

It’s true, labels are looking for music in the style of artists who have hit it big already. The key is to dance along the line of familiarity and originality. Be a couple steps ahead of radio, but within a comfortable distance. If you are too left field, it would be hard to digest by labels and possibly even fans. If you are too similar to what’s hot now, you’ll miss the boat by the time your music gets big.

Make sure you have the ultimate product, before you invest ridiculous amounts of time and money into promoting it. Although the following has been stated repeatedly, sometimes repetition is key to truly understanding your goals. Practice your craft everyday, play gigs as often as possible and find legitimate sources of constructive feedback. As an artist, you must also realize that that it takes financial investment to develop a brand. PR, radio campaigns, web developers for your site, service companies, CD replication, copyright, professional photos, graphic design and so much more. If you are genuinely prepared to make your music a career, investing into your brand is key.

All that being said, it’s all about great art, a story and a movement. Truly, it’s a constant battle of balancing the time of perfecting your craft and developing your brand. Once you find this middle ground and you persistently create a movement with hit songs, you’ll find your way. Pursuing A&R’s through their assistants or interns, attacking blogs consistently with your music, creating interesting viral videos and finally developing an enthusiastic following will propel you towards where you need to be.

The Ugly Truth About Today's A&R

A&R has always been one of the most misunderstood aspects of the music industry. Heck, a lot of people don’t even know what A&R stands for (Artist and Repertoire, taken from the days where an A&R's job was to link songwriters up with a performing artist). In the past, the most commonly known aspect of an A&R's job was discovering unsigned talent and getting them a record deal, which was partially true. Today, you don’t even have to leave your couch to discover new music, but musicians still salivate at the thought of getting their music discovered by an A&R rep. Truth is there aren’t that many major record labels anymore, meaning less A&R Departments, meaning an even less chance of being discovered by one of them. It has been said by many in the industry that in the digital age, A&R is dead. However, like most facets of the music business, the digital age has merely transformed it. Now there is a new definition of how A&R works.

Back in the “golden years”, A&R used to serve as the middleman between the artist and record label and work very closely with the artist. They would discover a band, convince the record executives to sign them, find the band a record producer and studio, and help develop many aspects of the artists career such as style, promotion and marketing. Today, thanks to the internet, most of that can be done by the artist themselves. Recording hardware and software is cheap, accessible, and can be easily ran by monkeys. Marketing and promotion can be done through social media websites and digital distribution, and now every major player in the business wont even acknowledge you unless you already have some self-made clout. So now, who is an A&R rep for? Record labels? Artists? Do A&R's even exist anymore?

The answer is yes. Although there are a lot less major labels, the power of an A&R rep is diminished, and the web has provided an easy way to discover music. These labels still have a few A&R reps that have new methods for discovering new artists, and are used to filter through the watered-down internet. In the independent label world, old school A&R is still used, and actually still a very relevant way to scout new talent. The best example of this is indie label XL Recording's discovery, development, and utmost support of Adele a few years ago. She is still with XL, and is very successful. Other than that, the face of A&R has changed so much, most wouldn’t even recognize it anymore. Many have been saying that music supervisors are the new A&R people. Music supervisors are the ones whom, most of the time, are selecting music for film, tv, and video game projects (among other duties). Some 90% of the music placed in these projects come from unsigned, independent artists, and many have been discovered and launched successful careers by this approach.

Others have said that another new form of A&R is websites and blogs. The Artic Monkeys were the first band who’s career was greatly impacted by MySpace support. Incredibly popular music blogs have a lot of pull and can serve as the new “gatekeepers.” A blog like Brooklyn Vegan, one which is viewed by millions a month, can essentially make or break a new artist simply by featuring an artist on their homepage. Other sites like Yahoo music helped launched Katy Perry and the Plain White T’s, and sites like YouTube offer an excellent platform for videos, and are debuted on a weekly basis. YouTube has also expressed that they are not just in it to just throw any old artist up, and hope for the best. The label department of YouTube actively seeks out artists that they actually believe in.

Music publishers have also been thrown into this new A&R conversation as well. Long before Coldplay was signed to Capitol Records, they were affiliated with BMG music publishing who provided funds for recording and even shopped the band to labels. Chrysalis Music Publishing is also building a reputation for really getting behind and pushing their artists into the spotlight, setting an example for other companies to follow.

Youtube Can Get You Seen

How Youtube Can Get You Seen, Heard, and Trended

You Tube has been a technological sensation since its beginning in February 2005, with over 2 billions views per day and over 35 hours of video posted per minute. There is no question that YouTube is an effective tool in marketing yourself as an artist or band as well as cost effective. YouTube is the number one places to be seen, heard, and become or continue to be a trend.

YouTube was founded as a technology start-up to provide an opportunity to easily share videos. Within a year and a half of the site launch, there were over 65,000 videos uploaded daily with over 100 million views, being named the dominant provider of online video for the United States. Now, there are currently over 10,000 official partners with 94 of the top 100 advertisers running campaigns on the site. When posting a music video on YouTube, you are not only going to be seen from everyday people world-wide, over 70 % of the viewers are outside the US; but also industry people involved and affiliated with the site. YouTube is also a great opportunity for the average Joe to get coverage, the number 6 most viewed video is ‘Charlie bit my finger-again’ about a young boy and his infant brother biting him and how it hurt and it has almost 404 million hits.

Technology has been constantly improving and enhancing ways to serve the public, as an artist or group, being heard is essential to success in the industry. Luckily, YouTube is in your favor for the likeliness of being heard and attaining an audience and following. An excellent example is Justin Bieber who was discovered by videos posted with him singing, dancing, and playing musical instruments. Bieber went from being a gifted but normal kid from Canada to a teen sensation and holding the number spot for most views on a YouTube music video for ‘Baby’ with over 684,597,595 views. A great perk is that when posting a music video on YouTube, not only will you have views from the site itself, but people can also post the videos and links on popular networking sites: Facebook and Twitter, which opens more opportunities to be heard and create a following.

To be a trend or be ‘trending’ is important in today’s social and media culture, as an up and coming band or artist, is an ambition to have the spotlight and attention. Youtube is an ideal outlet to post your music videos, with the amount of viewers and options to expand your video and viewing from the site to various other media outlets. By definition, a trend is to emerge, by using YouTube; you can trend and gain followers simply by posting a music video. YouTube is not only used by up and coming talent and the average person, but also established artists and bands as a way to reach out to their fans and share experiences such as music videos, interviews, and performances. A prime example is artist Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull for the number two most viewed YouTube video of all time ’ On the floor’ with over 463,245,100 views. When those activities are posted it keeps the bands and artists popularity up and constant and maintains a strong relationship with their fan base.

YouTube is such a great resource for bands and musicians to create a following gain fans and show people worldwide your sound and image. Regardless of you are just starting out, been a band or musician for years and waiting for a big break, or well acclaimed, YouTube provides the opportunity to be seen, heard, trend, and rock –on.

Seeking Songwriting Success: Three Ways Follow-Through Pays Off

Talent is a wonderful thing. On some level, we’ve all got it. However, what separates the success stories from the tragically unrecognized geniuses is what you do after the inspiration is over.




Songwriting is art. Like all art, songs require a healthy dose of inspiration, which is nearly impossible to predict or control. In that way, the spark that results in the creation of a song is a gift but the rest of the process is nothing more (or less) than good, old-fashioned work. By following through in a variety of different ways, you stand a much better chance of achieving the goal of getting your songs out in the world and hopefully generating some income for you.

1. The Song Gets Finished. We all have them: bits and pieces of what seemed like a good start to a song that have languished in notebooks or lost folders on our laptops. This is an unavoidable and necessary part of the creative process, but there comes a time when some of these ideas should be finished. Not all songs come easily and, on occasion, some of the best ones are ideas that just needed a little elbow grease to finish up. By reviewing some of these orphaned ideas from time to time, you’ll often find that there’s something well worth finishing. By following through in this way, you’ll end up with songs that might not otherwise have happened.

2. The Song Gets Demoed. Having a finished song is a victory in and of itself. That being said, the reality of our business is that these finished songs need professional demos in order to give them (and you) a fighting chance of being acknowledged by the decision-makers in the music industry Having a bunch of great songs that aren’t presentable isn’t a viable way of pursing a professional songwriting career. By the way, not every song you write will be demo worthy but for those that are, following through with a plan on how and when to make high quality recordings of them is a big step towards having your songs generate income for you. Like any business, you need to invest money in order to eventually make it.

3. The Song Gets Cut/Placed. Okay, so you’ve got a great song and a beautiful sounding recording of it. Congratulations. However, if only a small group of family and friends ever hear it, then it might as well not exist in the eyes (and ears) of the industry. I’ve talked about this in previous articles, but there is nothing romantic about pitching your songs. It’s work. Still, it is an absolute necessity if you’re hoping to sell your music. Follow-through can take a variety of forms here, including reading industry pitch sheets to find artists looking for new material, seeing which music supervisors are looking for songs for a film or television show and even making sure that an up-and-coming artist in your community (without a record deal) has a chance to put their vocal over the instrumental mix of your existing demo. In other words, get your songs out there. By the way, just in case you think sending your song to someone means your work is done here, it’s the follow-up (and follow-up and follow-up) that separates the pros from the novices. Never assume that just because you’ve sent in your song you can sit back and wait for your phone to ring. I highly recommend placing a note on your calendar to follow up with an email or phone call two weeks later and two weeks after that if you still haven’t heard anything. By following through on your pitches and following through on your follow-through (getting my point?), you’ll give yourself a fighting chance of getting your songs heard — after that, the sky’s the limit.

Talent is a wonderful thing. On some level, we’ve all got it. However, what separates the success stories from the tragically unrecognized geniuses is what you do after the inspiration is over. By digging in, doing the work and following through you’ve got a much better shot at the kind of songwriting success we all dream about.

 

Why Cover Songs Are Important

Why Cover Songs (And Videos) are Important

 

Your peers have been creating a plethora of cover tunes on YouTube. From Bon Iver to the Beach Boys, it’s been covered in a wide variety of genres and styles. But have you ever wondered… why?
Cover songs are hugely popular with fans on YouTube, especially when the performer has a great voice or a unique take on a famous song (or both). But the reason so many indie artists have been covering famous songs is because it helps them reach new fans and helps to increase their SEO.
What’s SEO? Search engine optimization is the process of improving the visibility of a website in search engines. Basically it’s the process of getting to the top of a (Google, Bing, etc.) search. There are a number of ways you can increase your SEO; things like optimizing your website to include certain keywords and making sure you have a number of external links or back links to your site.
That’s where YouTube comes in.
Discovery: If you’re posting a cover song of, say, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” you’ll have a lot of “natural” traffic to that video because people will be looking for the original song and, in the process, “discover” yours.
Traffic: If you include a link to your website in the info box below your video, you’ll drive traffic to your website. This will help increase your site traffic and (hopefully) your search ranking, as well.
A few notes about copyright/licensing: this post pertains only to your rendition of a song. Additionally, recording your version of someone else’s song and posting it on YouTube, where anyone can watch it for free, is a gray area. YouTube (likely) has a blanket license from BMI and ASCAP for this purpose. But, there is a chance (if someone complains) that your video will be removed at any time.
To sell your recorded version of someone else’s song, you must purchase a mechanical license.
What do you think? Have you posted any cover songs on YouTube? Did you get a lot of traffic from it?

10 Tips For Overcoming Writer's Block

10 Tips For Overcoming Writer’s Block

 

Writer’s block can be one of the more frustrating realities of life for a songwriter. You can’t continue to sell your music if you aren’t writing any new tunes. For songwriters stuck staring at a blank screen or page, here are some tips to help get your mojo working again, no little blue pills needed.

1. Try co-writing

Take a look at the songwriting credits for many iconic songs, from The Beatles to country music standards, and you’ll likely see more than one person’s name listed. If you’re blocked, bounce ideas off another songwriter. This is the norm in Nashville, and it may get those creative juices flowing again.

2. Pick a city

“Location, location, location” is a mantra for opening any new brick and mortar business. It can help with songwriting, too. Pick any city that rolls off the tongue well and work it into a song. Heck, pick a few cities. This is what Bob Dylan did for his song “Wanted Man,” later recorded by Johnny Cash.

3. Start with a title

Many songs start not with a great idea, but a simple title. Garth Brook’s breakout hit, “Friends in Low Places,” is a good example of a song that began as a title. Keep a small notepad with you at all times just for jotting down song title ideas.

4. Get offline and off the computer

We live in a time of digital overload, where people seem to do everything, even write songs, on the computer. If you’re the type of person who is constantly staring at illuminated screens, and still complaining about writer’s block, put the device down. Spend time with your craft in a notebook, not a computer screen.

5. There’s an app for that

The converse of getting off the computer is to dive headlong into the digital realm and download an app designed to help cure writer’s block. Writer’s Block Buster and Storyteller are just two of many to choose from.

6. Change your work location

Writer’s tend to write in the same work space each day. Becoming unblocked could be as simple as moving your work area to a different room. If you normally write songs in your home studio, try a desk in a different room, or the front porch.

7. Play a different instrument

If you normally write songs with a guitar, try sitting down at a piano instead. If you’re part of a band that can’t seem to get kick started, switch instruments for a day or two. The results could be cathartic.

8. Experiment with alternate tunings

If a guitar is your main instrument, try an alternate tuning. Playing in more complex tuning, or a simple drop D tuning, can be the equivalent of gaining a new world view when it comes to songwriting.

9. Take a break

If you’re stuck halfway through a song and can’t find a way through the bridge, do what Archimedes did. The ancient Greek mathematician simply took a bath while trying to figure out a problem, and then his Aha! moment came. Take a walk, a jog, a drive, anything to get your mind off the song for a while. Soon you may be running through the streets like Archimedes shouting “Eureka!”

10. Free Writing

Free writing is a common practice used to help unblock writers. Put your pen to the paper and begin writing whatever pops into your mind. Don’t lift the pen up and don’t stop until the page is full, even if it’s all gibberish. Try it for five minutes without worrying about making sense. This stream-of-conscious style of writing can eventually lead to a flow of ideas and, possibly, your next great song.