Advice for Newbies Part I - Step Up Your Game
I decided to use my blogging powers for good instead of evil tonight. I get alot of emails asking for advice of all kinds. I figured "Hey, I have a blog", maybe i should dole out some advice from time to time and maybe do somebody some good. First i'll attempt to answer some of the frequently asked email questions......
Email Question 1. "Dude, can you get me a record deal". OK, listen, common sense should tell you that if your trying to get a record deal via email your probably going about it the wrong way. No i can't get you a record deal, even if you are the next Eminem, i still can't get you a record deal. What i can do for you is mix the hell out of your demo so that it sounds at least sonically as good as the major label artists. If you send something to a record company, manager, promoter, etc... and it sounds like a basement tape, do you think you'll be taken very seriously? Usually not. Zach Katz says in the latest issue of Scratch Magazine.... (by the way if you dont know who Zach Katz is, start googling now, he's big) he says "Make sure your CD is mixed professionally. People don't want to hear disclaimers like 'My friend borrowed my mixer'. The shit has to speak for itself". Zach's words not mine. Truer words were never spoken. Come on man, get in the game, if you wanna catch the ears of the pro's you need to step it up. Get your stuff mixed right, either by me or somebody else who knows what the heck they are doing. Mixing is a specialty. if everyone could do what i do, I'd be homeless.
Email Question 2. Actually not a question but a HUGE pet peeve of mine. SIGN YOUR NAME TO YOUR EMAIL!!!!!!! ESPECIALLY WHEN YOUR ASKING OF MY TIME!!!!!! You guys just would not believe how many emails i get from people asking me for all kinds of things but they cant be bothered to sign their name to their email let alone introduce themselves first. Look, if you are asking me or anyone for any of their time, for advice, opinions, information, even rates and availability, have the courtesy and common sense to sign your name. Think about it. Do i want to sit and write a nice response email to a mystery person? No. it would go "Dear whoever you are" I mean even inquiries about rates, etc... If your not even going to leave your name, what chance to i believe you'll become a client of mine? slim. Too many people have completely forgotten common courtesy. If this is you, change your ways now. You are losing opportunities for yourself and real industry people will not take you seriously.
Email Question 3. "Yo, i'm about to graduate from engineering school. can i work for you". I get these alot. Now lets think for a moment. This person didnt bother to send me a resume, work references, nothing. This happens alot. They approached me unprofessionally. Hmmmm...... is this the type of employee I want to hire? Is this person somebody i want around when i'm working on projects for Kanye West or other major label clients? Is this person somebody i even want to let inside my studio in the first place??? Look, even if you are looking for an unpaid internship, realize that you are asking somebody to have trust in you, to spend their valuable time training you and teaching you how to do what they do. I am completely uninterested in even considering hiring someone who cannot approach me professionally. Having said that, I am not currently hiring, i have two great guys working for me. My staff is set.
Now, please don't take this blog post as venting. Its not. If any of the above examples is you, and you'd actually like to advance your music career past the basement, realize that industry profsessionals are where they are for a reason. We've worked very hard to get here. You've got to approach industry pro's (or anyone for the matter) with respect and professionalism, or they will not give you any respect and professionalism back. Remember this is the music BUSINESS. if you don't treat your music career like a business, chances are your career will grind to a halt. Good luck to everyone out there. This is an insanely difficult industry to succeed in, but i always say "well, somebody has to win, and it's going to be me". its gotten me this far..... so far.
-Ken
Email Question 1. "Dude, can you get me a record deal". OK, listen, common sense should tell you that if your trying to get a record deal via email your probably going about it the wrong way. No i can't get you a record deal, even if you are the next Eminem, i still can't get you a record deal. What i can do for you is mix the hell out of your demo so that it sounds at least sonically as good as the major label artists. If you send something to a record company, manager, promoter, etc... and it sounds like a basement tape, do you think you'll be taken very seriously? Usually not. Zach Katz says in the latest issue of Scratch Magazine.... (by the way if you dont know who Zach Katz is, start googling now, he's big) he says "Make sure your CD is mixed professionally. People don't want to hear disclaimers like 'My friend borrowed my mixer'. The shit has to speak for itself". Zach's words not mine. Truer words were never spoken. Come on man, get in the game, if you wanna catch the ears of the pro's you need to step it up. Get your stuff mixed right, either by me or somebody else who knows what the heck they are doing. Mixing is a specialty. if everyone could do what i do, I'd be homeless.
Email Question 2. Actually not a question but a HUGE pet peeve of mine. SIGN YOUR NAME TO YOUR EMAIL!!!!!!! ESPECIALLY WHEN YOUR ASKING OF MY TIME!!!!!! You guys just would not believe how many emails i get from people asking me for all kinds of things but they cant be bothered to sign their name to their email let alone introduce themselves first. Look, if you are asking me or anyone for any of their time, for advice, opinions, information, even rates and availability, have the courtesy and common sense to sign your name. Think about it. Do i want to sit and write a nice response email to a mystery person? No. it would go "Dear whoever you are" I mean even inquiries about rates, etc... If your not even going to leave your name, what chance to i believe you'll become a client of mine? slim. Too many people have completely forgotten common courtesy. If this is you, change your ways now. You are losing opportunities for yourself and real industry people will not take you seriously.
Email Question 3. "Yo, i'm about to graduate from engineering school. can i work for you". I get these alot. Now lets think for a moment. This person didnt bother to send me a resume, work references, nothing. This happens alot. They approached me unprofessionally. Hmmmm...... is this the type of employee I want to hire? Is this person somebody i want around when i'm working on projects for Kanye West or other major label clients? Is this person somebody i even want to let inside my studio in the first place??? Look, even if you are looking for an unpaid internship, realize that you are asking somebody to have trust in you, to spend their valuable time training you and teaching you how to do what they do. I am completely uninterested in even considering hiring someone who cannot approach me professionally. Having said that, I am not currently hiring, i have two great guys working for me. My staff is set.
Now, please don't take this blog post as venting. Its not. If any of the above examples is you, and you'd actually like to advance your music career past the basement, realize that industry profsessionals are where they are for a reason. We've worked very hard to get here. You've got to approach industry pro's (or anyone for the matter) with respect and professionalism, or they will not give you any respect and professionalism back. Remember this is the music BUSINESS. if you don't treat your music career like a business, chances are your career will grind to a halt. Good luck to everyone out there. This is an insanely difficult industry to succeed in, but i always say "well, somebody has to win, and it's going to be me". its gotten me this far..... so far.
-Ken
posted by Protools Mixing at 1:25 AM
1 Comments:
In response to question 1 - maybe musicians shouldn't focus so much on the record deal. From my experience in dealing with A&R, independent musicians are better off going about business as if they'll never get a deal.
These days, the labels like to see hard-working bands that have shown success at marketing, branding, having a business plan, etc. Then, as you learn more about the industry, self-production and distribution, you will have a lot more negotiating power when the labels start conversations with your band. Learn to enjoy the small success stories along the way, rather than the constant weight of waiting for a record deal to present itself.
Two idependent musician success stories that inspired me this past weekend...
1. Elmo Shropshire invested $40,000 of his own money and shopped his "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" tune for 4 YEARS before being offered a record deal. He has since become a millionaire five times over.
I put my money where my mouth is
2. A 27-year-old British singer/songwriter set up an auction on eBay, enabling users to purchase a quarter per cent of his entire life earnings until 70 years after his death. Each share cost £3,000 ($5,272.20 US) and just seven days after posting his advert, Shayan had investors pouring in from around the world.
The shares he sold financed the recording and release of his debut album and he has since won some noteable awards and became the first unsigned and unpublished song to get airplay on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.
Young singer finances career via eBay
Post a Comment
<< Home