Producer Tracks

Producer Tracks

So you wanna be a producer? Do you think you have that song that's gonna change your life! That's how it happened for producer of the song "Power", by Kanye West says his friend told him that was about to happen to him. The rest was history. I've always wondered if I had what it takes to become a producer.  I mean I always heard the music in my head, it should be easy right? Wrong?  Anyone who thinks that producing tracks is so easy is crazy, in my opinion.  As a songwriter, I'm always looking for tracks that move me.  Whether its a melodic ballad that moves me to write a worship song to God or a song that's rocking so I can work out to it.  Either way, the song, lyrics, and melody have to become one.  I'm partial to making sure the music is great and then I can write for days.

I checked out a few videos on YouTube of some up and coming producers showing us how they go through the process of making tracks.  I checked out this one girl that goes by the name IZ, put up a few videos that showcases her skills, she says she gets from her mother.  Check her video! She goes piece by piece how she develops her song.  It's pretty good too.  It shows how she is able to mimic what the typical industry standard 'pop' song sounds like today.

As far as known producers go, I was able to find this video where Kanye West was on 60 Minutes making a track.  Check Kanye's track! Within minutes this song was almost finished.  It was pretty funny to watch the interviewer try to vibe with him.  But if you like hip-hop, you felt the vibe Kanye was getting at with that beat.

When producing a track, one can not just be concerned with what the music is doing, but how its being presented.  When the vocals are added to that music, it becomes apart of the track also.  Teddy Riley from famed 90s group GuY speaks in this video about various sounds he used to create Michael Jacksons's JAM and She's Drive's Me Wild.  It's a great video, with great info. In the video Riley is talking about how since Jackson's death, some of the remaining songs had to be edited with a software called Melodyne to correct Michael Jackson's pitch. Ultimately, its up to the producer to create the sound that he or she wants.  They set the tone and feel of how a song will be presented.  Hopefully, I'll be able to create my sound that people will love.

Song Submission Opportunities

Currently, I'm working diligently to get a few placements in preparation for this next year.  It seems like I'm chasing my tail sometimes, but I just can't stop doing what I'm so passionate  about.  Writing songs for a movie soundtrack has always been a dream of mine.  The only thing that was stopping me was not knowing anyone who was doing it or knew about it themselves.  Keeping that in mind, I read an article that was very informative about how to submit songs for a movie soundtrack. Some of the suggestions include networking to get close to music supervisors and giving them some copy written music that could be potentially placed on a soundtrack.

One of the things I always try to do when I can is network. When this opportunity fell in my lap that’s exactly how it  happen.  I was speaking with a colleague about doing some work together and they called me later that week to submit some music for the soundtrack.  Now, of course in this business I realize that there are no guarantees, but I'm truly taking full of advantage of this opportunity. 

The first thing I did was read the plot and timeline of the whole project.  This information came on onesheet and had everything I needed to know like the plot, the characters, the book this movie would be based on and the projected timeline of when the music project should be started and the dates for the projected release for the movie and soundtrack.  This is a link for an example of a one sheet. http://onesheet.com. 

This is the most excited part where I get a chance to seek out the producers I want to work with and create some music that’s inspiring.  I'll let you know later how things work out, but no matter the outcome, its one of my favorite experiences during this journey.

Artist Development

While going through my classes here at Full Sail University, I’ve contemplated whether I really wanted to be an artist manager or more of a booking agent.  I began looking at my current demands as a full-time teacher, wife and mother and consider all the things that this job may entail.

Looking at the artist needs I thought about the artist development piece that is even more crucial, in my opinion, than having an artist manager.  There are plenty of artist out there that have managers.  Did they have the proper development?  That’s what I believe is my calling. 

One of the articles I read on artist development was from Music Marketeer.  They basically feel that the ‘It’ factor that people say they look for comes from a combination of things like talent, hard work, and artist development training.  I totally agree with the article and how it breaks down the necessities an artist should be doing before seeking out a manager like vocal lessons and working on their stage presence.  It is such a tedious process to begin with that one should not do it half way.  You can’t get a Beyonce’ or Janet Jackson type artist without all of those factors I mentioned above.  

When you look at the needs of an artist you have to first look at if they have good songs.  Today it seems that its more about your look and the ‘shock’ value you can have on your audience like a Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj type artist.  I just wish the industry would focus more on the music than the artist.  I believe that’s what gives them longevity industry. The former days of Motown and the Beatles were made up of songs that we still sing today.  To me that is the most important thing an artist needs.  Of course their needs to be a look, stage presence, and even a singer/songwriter is even better, that’s more money for the artist. So much is at stake when developing an artist and its important to be thorough.

So I definitely think that artist development is a better fit for me, what do you think?

Self-Publishing

When it comes to figuring out what the best way is to distribute your music, there are several opinions. This is so important to know because if consumers don’t have a way to purchase your music when they hear it then you’ve lost out on an opportunity to sell it.  In case you didn’t know having great songs, stage presence, and a great band is only half of what you need.  The other have I would wager to say would be great marketing so that people hear about you and a way to get your music to them. This is publishing your music.

I was doing some researching about publishing and there are two ways you can do it.  You as the writer can either find an agent to work for you that finds places for your music to be heard or you yourself can find it.  Of course doing it yourself would be less money, but you also need time to invest in yourself.  It’s a lot of work calling around to the various publishing houses trying to find someone that needs songs like yours.  This can be frustrating and could impede on your creative process.  Some people can handle this without losing creativity like Diane Warren.  She once wrote in an article that at first she was her own publisher and it was very difficult, but as she made more hits, she then could afford to hire staff to run her publishing company.  This is where I want to be.

Companies like TuneCore and CdBaby also help you get your music out there.  It’s one of the ways to get it in the consumers’ hands.  Choosing either one of these companies will allow you to get to some of the main sites like Itunes or even selling on Facebook.  Nevertheless, whichever road you take, you must decide which is best for you.

Distribution Ain't Everything!

As an aspiring artist, I’ve always been behind the scenes before getting to this point of even recognizing that I am an artist.  For me, I’ve seen projects happen from the writing of the song to the cd in stores. Unfortunately, that’s where the CDs remain.  I would always hear individuals say you need distribution as if this would solve all of their problems.  But this is not the case and it is important that every aspiring artist, songwriter, and music business individual recognize this fact.  I read this article on Music Biz Academy on distribution. I want to focus on 3 aspects distribution, radio play, retail price and positioning, and touring.

The issue at hand is that when you as an artist go store to get your CD sold there you have to consider that the store needs to make money as well.  One of the ways you could be considered is if you have radio play.  If you can vouch for how many radio spins you are already getting then that’s one way to get their attention.

The second way is retail price and positioning.  You think you want to get the CD in a store but they want to shove you in the back somewhere.  What makes you think they’ll put you out in front before the mainstream and major artist? A 'one sheet' is an item where a store can see on one page how popular you are becoming and gives them a little insight on what selling potential you may have also.

Touring has always been the win/win.  When you think of putting your cd in stores try thinking of putting it where you may be touring at the time on ‘consignment’.  Consignment deals put the store at no risk allowing you to sell your CDs for a lower price, but the store will get their cut right away.  A bonus is that you could even do an in-store performance as well. All of this can happen as you build relationships with storeowners as you frequent certain areas. 

Reality Shows

Reality shows have been the craze or the “thing” to do for the last couple of years.  It seems that anyone can do it if they have a following and able to make money for a network.  I’ve tried to see what the ‘hype’ was about shows like Basketball Wives and Mob Wives, but it just seem like some of the most trashy and disrespectful women that I would never want to be around.  Especially when I watched Basketball Wives and most of those women were either ex-wives or girlfriends.  Not interested. 

But then I heard about a new show on the TVOne network.  It’s called R & B Divas.  Now I totally love the show because it features some of my favorite female artist of the 90s R & B scene.  To date the one that put it all together is Faith Evans.  She is the widow of the hip-hop star Notorious Big, AKA ‘Biggie Smalls’.  She has since worked on several albums that have brought her great success the last few albums. Evans says, “We’re not about jumping on tables and throwing bottles.” Which is something you’re most likely to see on the previously mentioned shows. Another creator of the show and featured on the show is Nicci Gilbert who is the former lead singer of the 90s group Brownstone.  Syleena Johnson is another artist featured.  She’s best known for her vocals featured on Kanye West’ song All Falls Down.  Monifah is another featured artist best known for her song “Touch It”.  Then finally my favorite of singer of them all is Keke Wyatt.  She’s best known for her duet with male artist Avant with a remake called My First Love, which was originally recorded by Rene and Angela in 1983.

As you can see the “cream of the crop” is featured on this show.  Sure, I could name a few more that could be considered R & B Divas also, but we’ll save that for later.

Now back to the positivity about the show.  It allows people to see friends and life behind the music.  All of them are wives and/or mothers, which is something maybe only fans may have known. The show is full of laughter and even tears as the ladies share their heart about what is really going on in their lives.  The last show is October 8^th and they are not sure if there will be another.  Evans says that there is also going to be a compilation cd coming out soon with these ladies and some others like Kelly Price and Fantasia featured as well.