Recording Artist Advocate: Your Publicist...

Has this ever happened to you?  You get interviewed and then read the blog or article and they get it completely wrong.  It's as if the writer was at a completely different show. 

There’s a way to fix that:  Write your own articles and press releases.    

Don’t trust a stranger with your image and risk them getting it wrong.

That’s why smart people hire agents. If you can’t afford an agent, don’t worry; you can be your own.

There was a time when reporters or bloggers wanted to create their own content, but with the constant demand on them for good content they appreciate the help. As long as you follow some basic journalistic guidelines, you‘re likely see your release printed exactly the way you wrote it.

Search out the reporters and bloggers. It’s easy since their bylines almost always have a contact number or e-mail address.

You already craft songs. How much easier is it to write up a short story about the night, the crowd, and the energy… all the things that made the show great! The more you do it the better you’ll get. Read the stories and blogs to get a feel for style, and send out your own releases.  Always include links to stories about your band on your website.

While you’re at it, describe how the other bands did. Make the reader wish they’d been there too. Reporters and bloggers need content. They want to stand apart from all the rest. Get good at this and they’ll look forward to the stories you send in.     

You put so much into your music and stage presence. Don’t leave it up to a stranger to tell your story? Do it right. Do it well. And you control your image.

Recording Artist Advocate: Writer's Block...

Some songs seem to come all at once while others are hammered out over years. I’m excited to be present when inspiration strikes, but more often it’s a slow, labored process. A few times I have been able to offer an outsider’s view asking what the artist is trying to say or otherwise getting them out of their head to move the process forward.  

Here are some things artist have told me works for them.

 As songs are usually stories set to music, the methods an author uses to move forward work equally well for songwriters. One of the best is to write from the end, or write with the finish in mind.

Another is to stop thinking about the song, what rhymes and such, and just start fleshing out the characters in the story. Change gears and start writing the back story. What is their past? Why are they here? What is going to happen next? What does it mean? The best actors do this instinctively.

That reminds me… your brain does that all the time. If a song or a photograph represents a moment in time, your brain writes a “before and after story” to put it into context. A shadow intruding on a picture can change the whole narrative. Think about that with a song. A line out of context could change everything. Sometimes it’s obvious and sometimes it’s subtle.

Have you heard a song years later and realized it meant something completely different than what you remembered? With the intervening years of life experience, what was subtle is not anymore.

When you give the story or characters a life of their own, the rest of the song (or story) may write itself.

Some songs are like cotton candy; sweet and fun, but disappear fast.

Make your songs go deeper and they may become a part of the soundtrack of a generation.

Recording Artist Advocate: Use video to sell music...

You need to be using YouTube to promote your band… but probably not like you think.  

I need to take a step back to explain.

Advice for your career can come from anywhere. Business advice will apply to your career, but it may apply to relationships or anything else in your life.  So:

I was reading the Monday Morning Memo http://www.mondaymorningmemo.com/ from Wizard Academy,  and Roy Williams said that businesses that have a lot of YouTube videos are able to answer their customer’s questions and solidify a buying decision even before the person contacts the business. We know it’s true because we all do it. You search for information on the internet before you do anything else. We don’t want to be “sold” anything. We are just looking for information.

So how does this apply to you or your band? Think about the questions people ask you when they get you on the phone. Could you do a very quick YouTube video to answer that question?

Then do it and put it up. Make sure there is a way to contact you during the video, and put up more videos as the ideas keep coming to you.

It’s not the only thing you need to do, but it is one thing you must do.

Excuse me. I have to take the same advice and get busy making some YouTube videos for Rough Wood Recording Studio.

Recording Artist Advocate: Stay sharp...

Hope your Christmas gigs were good and that your new year’s gig will be fantastic! This is a great time of year for working musicians. You may want to party along with the audience, but don’t let it get out of hand or your performance will suffer. This doesn’t have to be a buzz-kill. Talk to band members ahead of time about how to help each other out before anyone slips.

I knew a bass player who would politely accept drinks from happy fans, but had his own drink ready. In the dim light no one ever caught on and he could stay sharp. He said he wasn’t going to let some drunken fan mess up his show or his reputation.

It’s sad to see once successful musicians or singer/songwriters who can’t get through a show or barely stumble through. They let down their bandmates, the audience, and themselves. Don’t let that be you.

This is a case where little things add up to big things and just not getting drunk sets you apart from so many other bands. You will be asked back. You will have a longer career. And you will make more money.

Recording Artist advocate: When theres nothing to do...

The winter storms kept clients from being able to come record today. I took the 4 wheel drive truck out and saw plenty of cars and even other trucks in the ditches. Even the big stores were pretty empty. I bought some new video monitors for the studio and got back as quick as I could. 

It’s a funny feeling when you are planning on working, but there’s nothing to do.

I set up the new monitors, moved some things around in the studio… even worked on equipment. Even though I was “working in the studio” nothing compares to actually working in the studio recording bands.

If you play music you know exactly what I mean. Getting a new instrument is exciting, but playing it is even better, and playing for people is even better than that. When you have down time there is nothing better than working out a part or lyric that’s been bouncing around in your head. It’s part of who and what you are.

You're a musician.

There are people that just play music, and there are people who have it in their blood.

If you are a musician, I’d like to introduce myself to you.

I’m Robert Snyder and I’m a recordist. That means I love recording and mixing music as much as you love writing, playing and performing music. 

We should get together.