studiobusiness

Sound Advice
With Bill Farrar

Bill has over 30 years experience in the music industry and has played on more than 3,000 sessions in his career. Have a question? E-mail him at bill@billfarrar.com

Q. My name is Ed------- and I need your help. I'm looking for direction to get a message to a country artist. Briefly let me tell you what I'm trying to do. I would like to pass an idea for a possible video to a song that touched me in many ways. Alyssa Lies by Jason Michael Carroll has a very strong message and needs a video to help that message reach everyone.

I'm a nobody coming from nowhere but the pain in my heart that comes from an abused background. Let me tell you briefly of my idea and see what you think....................

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A. I have not printed the idea for obvious reasons. I answered Ed by private email but decided this is worthy of discussion here. First, unfortunately I have no connection with Jason or his management/production team. So, if I tried to send them your idea they would respond to me the same way they would respond to you.

Second, these guys have people on the payroll who sit around and come up with ideas for videos and the management and label folks will use their ideas first.

Third, the real problem you have is the legal thing. Think of it this way. Let's suppose you send your idea to them and someone agrees to take it to the creative team. They look at your idea and discover that the script they wrote last week is really close to what you sent them. What do they do now? The choices are:

1. Go ahead and use what they have and wait for your lawsuit which will claim they used your idea.

2. Use your ideas and pay you for what they already had before they got your letter.

3. Dump everything they have and start over.

So... if you were the creative guys would you take an outside idea?

Last point I'll make with tongue planted firmly in cheek. If I were going to send over an idea for a video, I'd send one of my own ideas. I'm sorry I'm not very helpful here, but if you really feel strongly about this, Google Jason and when you find his official website, use the contact info to send your idea to him. Who knows, you might get lucky. Thanks for the message.

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Q. Bill - We (my band and I) spoke with a record producer in the Nashville area. He says that he'll get us some good material, but I have to use his studio musicians, not mine. I think it’s better to use my own band since we're the one that's going out on jobs. What's your opinion?

Allen

Griffin, Georgia

A. Since I don’t know the producer in question, I’ll have to give you a general answer based on my experience as a producer. I always have to give a client a price for a production. While there are always variables, I can usually figure the time close enough to set the cost. One of the things I consider is the professional quality of the musicians I use. I know these people and can always predict how long it will take to do a session. My guys rarely need more than two (2) takes to get a track. That means that I can get a track including overdubs (strings, horns, etc.) in about 15-20 minutes. That’s using my charts with no rehearsal.

If I bring in musicians who are not seasoned session players, I have no idea how competent they will be. I don’t know if they can read the charts or how many takes they will need. A session that might normally take a day for my guys might run into several days. Neither of us can afford that. I also know the quality of my musicians and I know the sound I need to get to give you great tracks. I have no idea how good your guys are.

There’s a reason it’s called the ‘Nashville sound’ and if that’s not what you’re after, you’d be better off to go to the closest studio with your band and cut there. A lot of hits have been cut other places so that’s not a slam. It is, however, an honest observation of the situation. Recording in Nashville with Nashville musicians does not guarantee a hit record. It does however, increase your odds.

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Q. Our group has a CD we produced and sell when we're playing gigs.

We've spoken to a promotion company in Cincinnati which wants money to have the single distributed to all of the Texas radio stations through a company in San Antonio. We have a good sound, sell a fair amount on the road...but what's the advantage of promoting to Texas radio stations when we've never been in Texas? Wouldn't we be better to promote nationally?

Alison

Columbus, Ohio

A. That depends totally on your goals as an artist. Do you have distribution? If not, promotion in any form is a total waste. If you do, what area does your distributor cover?

Do you intend to broaden your tour area? If you don’t have distribution and you don’t plan to tour Texas, save your money and go out to dinner more often.

If you plan to expand your touring to Texas then promoting to that area could be a good idea. Keep in mind that just because a promotion company sends your record to the stations doesn’t mean they’ll play it.

Tricky, isn’t it? Good (and I mean GOOD) management is an important part of the mix. But then good managers are hard to find as well. Good luck.

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Q. How do you get distribution on a CD single? Who can I write to?

Jason

Tacoma, Washington

A. There are more and more independent distribution companies in Nashville who are doing a good job in distribution. To get a recommendation you might want to call the Nashville Songwriters Association, the CMA or perhaps even the Musicians Union. Also consider whether you need distribution or promotion (or both).

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Q. How do we know whether we're paying too much for a CD?

Guitar Man

Halifax, Nova Scotia

A. I assume you’re talking about recording and duplication. Do the same thing you’d do if you were buying car insurance. Check around for several different producers or production companies and get pricing.

BUT......... don’t buy on price alone. Check to find out the quality of the productions and ask for a demo disk. Also, if you can find out some of their clients, ask for comments from them and see if they are happy with the product. In my case, I list a lot of my clients on my corporate website so people can see. You will also want to determine the services offered. Some will produce the music only, while others offer a complete package including manufacturing of final product.

There are many variables, but you’ll have to eventually make a decision based on research and the level of trust.

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Q. I have a song that want to send to one of the big labels. What's the proper way to do this?

Stuart P.

Arlington Heights, IL

A. Let me tackle this in two ways. First we need to determine whether you are wanting to pitch yourself as an artist or if you want to pitch the song.

First, labels will not usually listen to a song that comes in through the mail. They usually get songs from the publishing companies who pitch songs to them every day. That means if you want to get your song heard, you need to be represented by a publisher who thinks it's good enough to pitch. So, how do you get a publisher? You must have a good demo of the song. When I say good, I mean a professionally done demo. Regardless of what anyone may have told you in a seminar, etc., the better the demo, the better your chances. If you're not a singer, then contact one of the demo services here in Nashville. These folks will help with the arrangement, record the song with professional singers and musicians, and when it's done, you have a better shot.

"Please do not tell them how much your grandmother

or girlfriend loves your song."

Now...it has to get to a publisher. The best way to find a good one is to look at the CDs in your collection. Pick an artist that you think would do your song well. Then look at the songs on his/her album and you will find the writer and publisher listed under each song. These are the successful publishers who are getting cuts. Send them your CD with a VERY brief letter telling them who you are, where you live, how to get in touch with you and not much more. PLEASE DO NOT tell them how much your grandmother or girlfriend loves your song. That will usually guarantee your CD will get tossed in the trash. Why? Because they immediately know you're an amateur.

If you want to audition your voice in hopes of getting a record deal, then you must also have a good demo. In this case you'll need to call the label and try to get a meeting. This is somewhere between unlikely and impossible unless you know someone who can get you in. Sometimes meetings are brokered by music attorneys who can help you set it up. However, to get an attorney you must be willing to buy an hour of the attorney's time for a listen to your demo and to determine whether you have anything he thinks he can sell.

If it sounds almost impossible to break into the music business, you're right. However, if you believe in yourself and are willing to give it your best effort, give it a try.

Send your questions to Bill@BillFarrar.com

or to News @CountryMusicReport.com

In Bill's next column he writes about how much

it costs to produce a CD album.

Q. I have a sucessful local country group which has been playing gigs for the past five years. We're ready to try our hand in Nashville, but need to produce a professional demo. The studios here are mostly part-time businesses and the sound is not what we're looking for. What can we do and what should we be paying for studio time? How many songs should be included?

Howard C

Grass Lake, MI

A. First, it's good to hear that you're actually out working. That means you should be able to produce a reasonably good demo. It's also good that you can tell the difference between studios and the way they sound. Now...if your idea is to pitch to the major labels, you need to know that it's very difficult to get a listen. These guys are pretty busy with the acts they already have signed and usually they really aren't looking for any new ones. That being said, if you can show them something new and / or unexpected you may have a shot. So, the demo must be the absolute best you can do. You'll only have one chance to make a good first impression, so do your very best first time out.

I recommend you do your demo in Nashville. Here's why. First of all, most of Nashville's studios are full-time working studios with professional engineers. They do stuff like getting the pianos tuned every day and making sure all of the electronic gear is up to date and in good working order. Second, these guys are all professional musicians who know what music is supposed to sound like and they also know what the label execs are looking for in terms of overall sound quality. Third, if you need additional players, the best in the world are working all around you here. One phone call will get your the exact player or singer you need. Fourth, if you plan to use your band only, these engineers and producers can show you how to get the very best your guys have to offer.

For a demo I suggest you do at least two songs but no more than three. . You want to do one up-tempo and one ballad to show your ability to deal with more than one type of song. If you do more than three no one will listen all the way through. In fact, I suggest that you do short songs. It's not unusual to have the person listening simply shut it off 60 seconds into the song. At that point they may have heard all they need to hear. Remember that these guys do this all day long and they can tell very quickly whether you have the sound they're looking for.

Regarding studio time cost; usually a good studio will cost you from $60 - $100 per hour including engineer. Sometimes the difference in cost has to do with location and how many secretaries have to be paid. Always get recommendations from professional musicians regarding which ones are a good value and which are overpriced. Keep in mind that you won't just be paying for the time you are recording. The tracks have to be mixed, and you may need a run through ProTools. Using our crew of professional musicians here, we can do two demos, songs, master vocals, background vocals and mix in one day. If your group is new at this...allow more time, perhaps two days.

Good luck in your career.

In Bill's next column he speaks to a reader's question on how to submit a song to a major label.