Today we will talk about The Road, "that is going on it". This discussion will not be directed to artists who are flying from gig to gig or even riding in a beautiful tour bus, but traveling from place to place how and in what ever you can. In my early days of touring we were so happy just to have a gig we really didn't care how we got there!! A lot of bands don't take the time to figure out their bare bones cost of travel and end up selling gear along the way just to survive which sounds painfully familiar to me. Okay lets talk about travel cost. 1. Vehicle, car with u haul, van, small school bus, beat up motor home (I've done them all, some of you were with me).
First thing to take care of is vehicle maintenance, if you break down chances are you won't have enough money to fix it and you'll miss the gig, I'd rather starve to death then miss a gig so make sure what ever hunk of crap you have runs like a top!! Always best to rent if you can. If the van (or what ever you rent) breaks down they'll send you another. 2. Lodging, If your lucky enough to sleep in a bed every night while on the road you're doing well. Most motels will let 4 people in a room with two large beds. If there's more then 4 people someones sleeping on the floor. Best to make sure the singer and drummer have a good night sleep. So the cost of the vehicle, gas and lodging are the first things to start counting. 3. Food, a band is like an army which travels on their stomach's. If traveling is a little uncomfortable and sleeping is questionable then eating must be a priority. Lets talk about mileage, the distance from gig to gig should be measured in miles, time, and cost of fuel. When planning a tour of any size the logistics can be the difference between making money or losing money. I've made money and lost money, the latter sucks big time!!!
It's important to contact the venue before you arrive to let them know your ETA, check sound check status, and make sure the show is still on. Club owners are a different breed all together!! Last but certainly not least, your equipment. If possible I believe in traveling with two of everything, and at a minimum be able to make repairs on guitars, amps and drums. It's great to travel with a utility person who can help set up, drive the vehicle, sell merchandise, do security, moral support if needed, be the only one in the crowd to clap and cheer and volunteer to sleep on the floor. In review add up all the above mention expenses add 25 per cent more, and have a great trip. Nothing beats going on the road with your friends playing music, right?
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Music Career Talk H
Okay for the last 7 weeks I have talked about a number of subjects that I hope will help the warriors of the music industry. This week I will take our talk in a different direction and discuss records and musicians, both past and present. First of all I want to mention I had a productive week. Friday afternoon I had a great meeting at the William Morris Agency regarding one of my clients, met with some wonderful folks at NARAS (Grammys)as I try to improve the visibility of indie artists especially in the rock genera which seems to need the most help, I may sign a new band to my label (if all works out)and got the jacuzzi cleaned out!! Just thought I'd share.
On to the music. The first record I want to mention is old (of course and the blues no doubt)that would be "John Mayall's Bluesbreakers". Most guitar players agree this is the shit(sorry about that). Claptons playing is beyond good and is one of the reasons I play guitar today, the other reason is playing guitar was a great boost to my social life!! Next for sheer music and great writing anything by the Beatles, Ray Davies (The Kinks)as a matter of fact and not to take anything away from the bands of America almost every group that came out of the U.K. in that time period was stellar!! You don't have to agree, but I'm right!!
So we move ahead in time to the late 70's. Just two words to mention "Van Halen". Other then Jimi Hendrix (maybe the KING), Van Halen's style, sound, and technique changed guitar playing for ever!! I realize this talk sounds very guitar heavy, I have played with and recorded some of the best drummers, bass players and musicians in the world, but for me guitar is where I live. Each decade of music has had it's greatness as well as it's crap. Music styles seem to regenerate, and appear once again with a new twist to a familiar sound. New and old merge and become the flavor of the present.
Lets talk about Guns n Roses. I saw this band come on in the 80's in Hollywood and grow to be the biggest rock band in the world. Goes to show what sticking to it
can accomplish. Then years later Axl Rose puts out a CD called "Chinese Democracy". This recording took years to make, cost a ton to make, and got some really bad reviews. Well I'm here to say this CD is great. I love most of the songs, the musicianship is outstanding, and the way Axl used his voice was to say the least, "bad ass". There are great new artists today, and that's what the industry needs. Some of today's recordings are over polished, and over produced so what you end up with is ear candy and no substance. I'm a lover of hard rock and blues and at the same time a major fan of Lady Gaga. Next week we'll get back to business, thanks for being there.
On to the music. The first record I want to mention is old (of course and the blues no doubt)that would be "John Mayall's Bluesbreakers". Most guitar players agree this is the shit(sorry about that). Claptons playing is beyond good and is one of the reasons I play guitar today, the other reason is playing guitar was a great boost to my social life!! Next for sheer music and great writing anything by the Beatles, Ray Davies (The Kinks)as a matter of fact and not to take anything away from the bands of America almost every group that came out of the U.K. in that time period was stellar!! You don't have to agree, but I'm right!!
So we move ahead in time to the late 70's. Just two words to mention "Van Halen". Other then Jimi Hendrix (maybe the KING), Van Halen's style, sound, and technique changed guitar playing for ever!! I realize this talk sounds very guitar heavy, I have played with and recorded some of the best drummers, bass players and musicians in the world, but for me guitar is where I live. Each decade of music has had it's greatness as well as it's crap. Music styles seem to regenerate, and appear once again with a new twist to a familiar sound. New and old merge and become the flavor of the present.
Lets talk about Guns n Roses. I saw this band come on in the 80's in Hollywood and grow to be the biggest rock band in the world. Goes to show what sticking to it
can accomplish. Then years later Axl Rose puts out a CD called "Chinese Democracy". This recording took years to make, cost a ton to make, and got some really bad reviews. Well I'm here to say this CD is great. I love most of the songs, the musicianship is outstanding, and the way Axl used his voice was to say the least, "bad ass". There are great new artists today, and that's what the industry needs. Some of today's recordings are over polished, and over produced so what you end up with is ear candy and no substance. I'm a lover of hard rock and blues and at the same time a major fan of Lady Gaga. Next week we'll get back to business, thanks for being there.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Music Career Talk 7
Welcome, since I seem to skip all over the place when I teach music related subjects I see no reason to stop the trend now. So today we will talk about mixing. You can have the best sounding tracks in the world and F it up by having a poor mix. There’s no trick to having a great sounding recording beyond making sure the instruments, performances and gear all sound great. Don’t mic drums that sound bad thinking you can fix it in the mix. Even with sampled drum sounds if the performance is weak it will sound BAD!!
I make sure everything sounds great before anything gets mic-ed and recorded.
Best to make sure everything is recorded before you start mixing. It sucks to be in mix mode and then have to go back and record something you forgot.
When I start a project from day one and note one I am thinking about the mix. Everything I do is with the mix in mind. What will make the mix easier and sound better. What can I do to avoid unnecessary work in the mix? By recording dry in terms of effects and little use of eq or compression it allows me (or who ever is engineering) to dress the tracks on the way out instead of in and out. So on with the mix. Everybody has their own way of approaching a mix, if you’re looking at the board I go from left to right. Starting with the drums. Not only do the drum tracks have to fit in with the other instruments, but the drums have to be balanced among themselves i.e. snare, kick, toms, cymbals and on.
Each drum has a mic as well as overhead mic’s and room mic’s. Each must be checked for sound quality, level and phasing problems. The drummer hits each drum then plays as a full kit to the producer's and engineer's satisfaction. Next bass; the bass can be recorded with an amp, direct box, through the preamp directly or any combination to create the best sound. Once this has been achieved you have your rhythm section done. If the rhythm section sounds good the rest is cake (not really). When you stack guitars if everything is left and right it becomes hard to tell there is any stereo separation. I like to mix it up. One side may have a heavy guitar on the left with the other one at 2 o’clock. Then maybe acoustic guitars hard left and right.
If there are keys on the track where I place them would depend on the part and if the track is mono or stereo. I place solo’s like vocals, right up the middle and out in front.
My rule for background vocals is not to use any unless they make the lead vocal better. Some songs sound more sincere with just the lead vocals; think of Paul McCartney singing “Yesterday” or Peter Criss singing “Beth” (I got to record that one).
This blog was not meant to be the definitive guide to mixing, loaded with technical jargon, but a quick road map of things to think about regarding the fine art of mixing. If you have recorded great tracks and you want the end result to be great, find a great mixer.
CAIO!!
I make sure everything sounds great before anything gets mic-ed and recorded.
Best to make sure everything is recorded before you start mixing. It sucks to be in mix mode and then have to go back and record something you forgot.
When I start a project from day one and note one I am thinking about the mix. Everything I do is with the mix in mind. What will make the mix easier and sound better. What can I do to avoid unnecessary work in the mix? By recording dry in terms of effects and little use of eq or compression it allows me (or who ever is engineering) to dress the tracks on the way out instead of in and out. So on with the mix. Everybody has their own way of approaching a mix, if you’re looking at the board I go from left to right. Starting with the drums. Not only do the drum tracks have to fit in with the other instruments, but the drums have to be balanced among themselves i.e. snare, kick, toms, cymbals and on.
Each drum has a mic as well as overhead mic’s and room mic’s. Each must be checked for sound quality, level and phasing problems. The drummer hits each drum then plays as a full kit to the producer's and engineer's satisfaction. Next bass; the bass can be recorded with an amp, direct box, through the preamp directly or any combination to create the best sound. Once this has been achieved you have your rhythm section done. If the rhythm section sounds good the rest is cake (not really). When you stack guitars if everything is left and right it becomes hard to tell there is any stereo separation. I like to mix it up. One side may have a heavy guitar on the left with the other one at 2 o’clock. Then maybe acoustic guitars hard left and right.
If there are keys on the track where I place them would depend on the part and if the track is mono or stereo. I place solo’s like vocals, right up the middle and out in front.
My rule for background vocals is not to use any unless they make the lead vocal better. Some songs sound more sincere with just the lead vocals; think of Paul McCartney singing “Yesterday” or Peter Criss singing “Beth” (I got to record that one).
This blog was not meant to be the definitive guide to mixing, loaded with technical jargon, but a quick road map of things to think about regarding the fine art of mixing. If you have recorded great tracks and you want the end result to be great, find a great mixer.
CAIO!!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Music Career talk VI
Okay it's that time again, today we will continue last weeks discussion on independent label success.
This adventure will take you through the maze of an indie signing all the way to the sale of product.
Lets assume you and I have a label we'll call it X Records. We have been looking at artists on line trying to find a band (or single artist) with lots of views (in the hundreds of thousands at least) strong material, great image, and performing on a constant basis. We're also going out to the venues looking for artists who are packing the house every time they play. So one night we find this great band (their name is "Y"). They were playing at the "Z Club" in L.A. on a Sat night. The place was packed with fans, and so the process starts. We introduce ourselves and talk to the band after their set. Next day the research begins on line and everything adds up. We place a call to the bands leader or which ever member seems to be in charge (there's always one). The band will send or email their best material for our review. In some cases we will ask for a showcase, once this is done and we feel the band is stable enough to work with we will offer a single deal and based on the performance of that single have an option for a multi album (CD) commitment. The rate of royalty might be based on whether the artist is bringing their self funded recording (which the label will determine) to be released or if X Records will be paying for the recording. The label must recoup it's recording expenses (in most cases) before a royalty is paid to the artist. A release date is determined by many factors, time of year, other releases by the label,the bands touring schedule etc. This release will be a digital one to start with. The expense of having a physical retail release is great and we want to see if down loads, touring and radio response create a demand for retail orders. So lets put the team together. First an agent, the band must be out playing in support of their release. Next is radio promotion, this enables the booking agent to route the band where radio is successful,and really concentrate on those area's. Interviews will also be set up at radio where the band can plug their shows and music. The label will buy ad time at those stations for the bands shows hopefully increasing audience size and creating strong relationships with concert promoters, buyer's, club owners (an interesting bunch), radio P.D.'s/M.D.'s and jocks. In some cases there is a lead time between a radio release and a street date when product hits the stores. This time is used to generate anticipation so radio listeners and will be primed to buy at retail. Hey what a concept. This has been a snap shot of the big picture. In the future we will talk about mechanical royalties, publishing, foreign licensing, sub publishers and the rest of the pie. The music business is like the shoe business, almost everyone needs both. See ya next week!!
This adventure will take you through the maze of an indie signing all the way to the sale of product.
Lets assume you and I have a label we'll call it X Records. We have been looking at artists on line trying to find a band (or single artist) with lots of views (in the hundreds of thousands at least) strong material, great image, and performing on a constant basis. We're also going out to the venues looking for artists who are packing the house every time they play. So one night we find this great band (their name is "Y"). They were playing at the "Z Club" in L.A. on a Sat night. The place was packed with fans, and so the process starts. We introduce ourselves and talk to the band after their set. Next day the research begins on line and everything adds up. We place a call to the bands leader or which ever member seems to be in charge (there's always one). The band will send or email their best material for our review. In some cases we will ask for a showcase, once this is done and we feel the band is stable enough to work with we will offer a single deal and based on the performance of that single have an option for a multi album (CD) commitment. The rate of royalty might be based on whether the artist is bringing their self funded recording (which the label will determine) to be released or if X Records will be paying for the recording. The label must recoup it's recording expenses (in most cases) before a royalty is paid to the artist. A release date is determined by many factors, time of year, other releases by the label,the bands touring schedule etc. This release will be a digital one to start with. The expense of having a physical retail release is great and we want to see if down loads, touring and radio response create a demand for retail orders. So lets put the team together. First an agent, the band must be out playing in support of their release. Next is radio promotion, this enables the booking agent to route the band where radio is successful,and really concentrate on those area's. Interviews will also be set up at radio where the band can plug their shows and music. The label will buy ad time at those stations for the bands shows hopefully increasing audience size and creating strong relationships with concert promoters, buyer's, club owners (an interesting bunch), radio P.D.'s/M.D.'s and jocks. In some cases there is a lead time between a radio release and a street date when product hits the stores. This time is used to generate anticipation so radio listeners and will be primed to buy at retail. Hey what a concept. This has been a snap shot of the big picture. In the future we will talk about mechanical royalties, publishing, foreign licensing, sub publishers and the rest of the pie. The music business is like the shoe business, almost everyone needs both. See ya next week!!
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