by PS | Mar 5, 2014 | Crusher, Main Course
Many artists see their music as being “at odds” with business. It doesn’t have to be that way at all. In fact, it really isn’t. But many artists draw a strong line separating the two. And you’ll never hear of them again. [emember_protected for=3-4-5] Other artists go...
by PS | Mar 5, 2014 | Crusher, Main Course
There is a fine line between “who you are” as a person or as an artist, and “how you’re perceived”. Ideally, you should “naturally fit” your niche perfectly. If you’re performing music that certain types of rock audiences like, you will tend to wear the kind of...
by PS | Mar 5, 2014 | Crusher, Main Course
Some artists might claim that they don’t care what other people think. They write “for themselves” and if anyone likes it – great. If not – great. And one in a thousand of those artists might have a point, although I actually doubt it. In the vast majority of cases,...
by PS | Mar 5, 2014 | Crusher, Main Course
As I mentioned elsewhere in this course, you will need to wear the hat of the “A&R Man” as well – or have someone who will – at least to some extent. Without your own record label this function may at first be considered superfluous, but it’s not. An aspect of an...
by PS | Mar 5, 2014 | Crusher, Main Course
Sometimes things just don’t sound the way you wanted them to, no matter how many re-takes you did. Perhaps that vocal still doesn’t sit right, or maybe that bass part is just not exciting enough. What do you do? There are at least four basic approaches at that point –...
by PS | Mar 5, 2014 | Crusher, Main Course
Most “popular” types of music feature vocals and the credibility of vocal performances is therefore of the highest importance. In fact, it can be said that it’s the vocal that will be the most responsible for the success or failure of any given song in your target...
by PS | Mar 5, 2014 | Crusher, Main Course
Another important aspect of your production, partially covered in the preceding production checklist, is the question of the individual performances of the musicians on your demo. You might be great at playing in all the parts – or you might be just okay, on at least...
by PS | Mar 5, 2014 | Crusher, Main Course
When independently producing music, the bulk of the effort has to be on that final 1%. That’s where that “major label sound” is. You want it? Well, here’s how you get it. It comes down to producing yourself correctly. You don’t “have to” do it the way it’s spelled out...
by PS | Mar 5, 2014 | Crusher, Main Course
Let’s face it – songwriting is not just an art-form. It’s also a craft. If it wasn’t – a monkey could do it. (Yeah, I know – some music out there is probably done by simians, but so what!) Amateurs often have a common argument against “learning” songwriting. It goes...
by PS | Mar 5, 2014 | Crusher, Main Course
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, right? Who’s to say if your music is “good” or not? Well… yes and no. Sure, art is subjective. But craft is not. When you create your original music (or sing covers, doesn’t matter), you need to be able to blend the two (art AND...
by PS | Mar 5, 2014 | Crusher, Main Course
The introduction is almost over! Wasn’t too bad, was it? Going in, the first thing you need to know is what you’re about to do, in broad strokes. And you need to understand the reason for each thing. So, let’s list these things here: [emember_protected...
by PS | Mar 5, 2014 | Crusher, Main Course
Let’s deal with the most common objections now. I KNOW how FEW artists are motivated enough to take on what I’ll suggest in this course. I therefore want to somehow ensure that you’re going into all this with your eyes wide open. And I also want to assure you that you...
