— Artists —
At the very least, [have] a simple, inexpensive program such as Logic, or GarageBand [for your home studio]. Learn how to program and engineer on a basic level. Engineering yourself saves money and time. You have the freedom to keep trying lots of different things without looking at the clock and worrying about emptying your bank account. –Holly Knight, songwriter, June
Pre-production is important. The best acts take weeks (sometimes months) to prep before they record. Know what songs you’re going to do and how everyone is going to play them. Every part, including performances, should be reviewed. If you use studio time to write songs, choose songs or learn your parts, it’s going to add up and be very expensive. –Candace Stewart, studio manager of EastWest Studios, July
Determining the correct match of mic for you can take about 20 minutes of trying out several to determine the one that brings out the best in your voice…Once the mic has been matched and the headphone mix is comfortable, the actual session starts. –Jeannie Deva, singer, vocal coach, Feb.
Take a break. You have to actually go out of the room and get to a bathroom, which gives you a minute to relax, calm down, change the air, change the environment. Go outside. –Buddy Brundo, Conway Recording, Nov.
Acts think they have to do a full album [even though] they don’t have the material. Sometimes four or five songs on a well-done EP will be better than a 10-song LP, with five songs as filler. That alone can save time. –Justin Lieberman, Studio Co-manager, Chief Engineer of Studio Triology, July
Change is difficult, but it is also the essence of pre-production. The less resistant you are to change and new ideas regarding your work, the more fruitful the creative process becomes. –Michael Beinhorn, producer, Aug.
Minimalizing songs and sounds is a really important thing to realize as a musician. Less is more sometimes. –Ashton Irwin, 5 Seconds of Summer, Nov.
Try to get your mixes right in the first place by hiring somebody who knows what they’re doing. Make sure that you deliver a mix [to a mastering engineer] that is ready to go and not slammed to the walls. –Steve Hall, engineer, Future Disc LLC, Oct.
It’s important to have a good monitoring system. Play a mix in a few different places before asking for things. –Gordon Bahary, engineer, Right Touch Mastering, Oct.
You’ll waste valuable studio time without a demo. You need to be critical and analyze the songs, arrangements, performances and sounds—especially the vocals. If you do that, you won’t have to deal with those things in the studio. –Matty Amendola, owner, producer, 825 Records, Studio & Productions, July
People form opinions based on production value, and if you don’t have a polished and professional sounding recording it can hurt your chances. –Steve Burdick, Crē•8 Music Academy, Nov.
SHAMELESS PROMOTION
Many media outlets influence other media outlets––[like] a domino effect. If you want outlet C interested you have to get coverage in outlet A and B. –Chloe Walsh, Co-Founder/Managing Partner, Press Here, March
Social media allows us to see how artists connect with people and what they think of them. But, big numbers alone don’t influence me. I’m more impressed with how people react to the act and engage with them. –David Wolter, Sr. VP A&R, RCA Records, Jan.
Schedule exclusive online premieres for songs and videos, sort of like an online strip tease that reveals a little bit more each time…Then, when the time is right, contact music sites like Pitchfork, as well as publications. –Mitch Schneider, Founder/President, Mitch Schneider Organization, March
Sponsorships [can be] used when you want to create the perception of legitimacy, and you want to uniquely promote your products via your fans’ lifestyles. Smaller businesses in your hometown can arrange playing your music in their stores and can host live acoustic performances. –Bobby Borg, author, March
[To get gear endorsements] approach companies whose product you use by choice. Find the contacts on their sites, which often have a link to input info [and] apply for the opportunities the company offers for endorsement deals. –Justin Emord, Love and a .38, May
If listeners have to go to yet another site and download a song you’re submitting to them, sometimes they won’t even bother. –Holly Knight, songwriter, June
There’s no right or wrong way to make a [crowdfunding] campaign video. You don’t need to spend days preparing, crafting and executing the perfect video. Plan it out and make sure that whatever production choices you make will support your message. –Amanda Keating, Program Associate, Fractured Atlas, July
Placements are the new radio. If you place a song on a hit TV show, the potential for exposure is tremendous––better than radio. –Tess Taylor, president, National Association of Record Industry Professionals (NARIP), Sept.
