I have been asked to write a series of posts about the business of music, in particular, marketing strategies for helping you promote your music in today’s marketplace which I am excited to do. Before kicking that off I just want to say a few words about what an exciting time it is to be making music, having experienced the transition from analog to digital firsthand and how it’s changed not just recording itself but the entire way music is packaged, marketed, promoted and sold.
I left college in 1970 to join London Records downtown on West 25th Street in New York City as a songwriter at the invitation of some of the company’s veeps who had heard me performing up on the east side at Malachy’s. It wasn’t long after I started writing tunes that there was some head shuffling going on and Walt Maguire who ran A&R asked me to oversee U.S. recording and mastering studio operations. This college dropout (I actually finished my Bachelors and went on to get my Masters while working for London) was thrust from suburban academia to working with artists such as The Rolling Stones, The Moody Blues, Al Green (I did the sound for his “live” debut at Catch A Rising Star), Dave Edmunds, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton as well as producing artists myself like prolific jingle writer-turned-performing artist Leslie Pearl, Armadillo World Heaquarters house band Greezy Wheels and jazz legend Erroll Garner.
My new studio gig also gave me the opportunity to work in some of the coolest rooms on the planet since studios in the ’70’s still continued the ’30’s trend toward toward concert hall design for the recording of large symphony orchestras. The best of these larger acoustically “live” halls were actually converted churches. One of my all-time favorites was Media Sound built by the producers of the original Woodstock and designed by the best of the best, Harry Hirsch. In fact, I started using Media Sound so often that I rented an apartment next door at 311 just to be close to what was going on and to have a place to chill, grab some food, plan sessions and rehearse harmonies. Another great studio was the Columbia Records 30th Street Studio in New York City which began its life as an Armenian church and boasted a ceiling over a hundred feet high. The recording engineers who trained in this period learned to take advantage of the complex acoustic effects that could be created through “leakage” between different microphones and groups of instruments. They became extremely skilled at capturing the unique acoustic properties of their studios. While purist engineers working at smaller studios focused at the time on maximally separating sounds by using vocal booths and movable partitions, recording in converted churches created a whole new technique of creatively incorporating leakage as an intended effect to produce an even larger sound. Microphone placement became the art of pushing the bigger sound even farther (I am still a Neumann U47 devotee, by the way). Smaller studios built echo chambers underneath the control rooms that sent the recorded signal from the mics in the studio through the chamber to a sub-mic enhancing the signal but never capturing the full resonance of the cathedral-like grand rooms. Independently manufactured compressors, equalizers and reverberators were added to the audio arsenals.
With multi-track recording (thank you, Les Paul!) the ability in the ’70’s to layer parts at different times became possible. Rhythm tracks first, then vocals, then guitar leads, for example. Or, you could record everything at once but allocate separate tracks to each instrument which made mixing an exhilarating art. I remember going through many security gates at airports en route to mixdown studios with huge, heavy boxes of 2″ multi-track tapes making sure they weren’t x-rayed. Using 24-track recording equipment opened up infinite possibilities of separation and it set the stage for what you’d do later on in mixing. We began increasing the possibilities by synching up multiple 24-track recorders and doubling up the available tracks.
My analog teeth were cut working in the Bell Sound, Columbia and Media Sound Studios and in the classrooms of the Institute of Audio Research. I’ve embraced the new digital technology but retained my purist analog roots because I want all of the signal I’ve recorded, not just parts of the wave.
What I do find thoroughly exciting is the affordability and convenience of the new digital technology to enable bands to create their own PC-driven studios right in their own garage or basement. The stringed instruments can be recorded direct and effects added later. Conversely, I’ve heard some amazing open mic techniques used on stairwells and “hot” cellar corners that have created amazing live” sounds. Digital Audio Workstations (DAW’s) have proliferated along with very cool software like Pro Tools. And, the list keeps growing. Most users embrace the Apple Mac but Windows is attracting its own software developers.
It’s a whole new generation of mouse-driven recording and mixing. Today’s generation of youthful artists are the new wave of digital technology who I wish could have experienced firsthand the evolution from analog as I and others have. And today’ generation of artists have pushed the applications of social media as it relates to marketing their music. From the same Mac keyboard they’ve recorded and mixed their music on, artists can distribute and promote their music online as well as build their fan base and sell their music. It’s a far cry from having to schmooze the rack jobbers and retailers at quarterly record company sales meetings to carry the maximum number of vinyl units in the stores, chains and outlets and for the promo guys to be working the terrestrial radio stations promising a jump on the next Al Green single if they played a new Ann Peebles record.
Never have there been so many incredible opportunities for indie artists to get their music heard on such an even playing field. And, sharing the trends and strategies of how to market your music will be an exciting journey I am looking forward to taking with you. There will be interviews with some outstanding indie artists from around the world so stay tuned!
Tags: Al Green, Bell Sound, business of music, Columbia Recording Studios, Eric Clapton, Erroll Garner, Greezy Wheels, Harry Hirsch, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, marketing music, Media Sound, mixing, multitrack recording, Pro Tools, The Moody Blues, The Rolling Stones