a musician's journey

Jody Carlson

2010-11-23T05:34:00.003-05:00

That's my mom. She sings. Jazz. She's been doing it her entire life, but she never recorded anything before. I figured I'd put the degree she helped me get to good use by producing her first ever CD. It was a blast. We recorded in Boston, Long Island, and Santa Monica. I comped vocal tracks in LA and sent the sessions to a friend in NY to mix them. I had the songs mastered at one of the world's best studios. We worked with a family friend to create the artwork. I hired a friend I have made through work to design and develop a website. And now, you can stream, purchase, and even get a free track from "jody carlson" by heading over to jodycarlson.com. I think this is what life is all about. I'm so glad I got to do this.

I love you, mom.

CLCmusic

2009-12-09T19:11:00.002-05:00

As my time at Berklee comes to an end, it is more than appropriate that I have a final piece of work that encompasses the last three years of my life. I can confidently say that today I am a bass player, a producer, and now... a songwriter.

Like so many musicians, I always have had chord progressions and melodies in my head. Maybe I played one for a friend once and they told me they liked it. I never took it beyond that though. That said, for my final production project here at Berklee, I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to make something that was as much a representation of my personal, creative-self as possible. So, I started with what was in my head and nothing else knowing that by the end of the semester I would need to present 3 complete songs. I just took it step-by-step and today, they are done.

I started out recording all 3 songs in a 4-hour session in September with a makeshift band. I proceeded to develop those recordings as much as possible by mixing them and recording overdubs. I scheduled lyric writing sessions with others and we sat and wrote lyrics together while listening to these demos. I had a session in my apartment with Álvaro to come up with guitar parts to the songs (a few of the "sounds" we recorded that day actually made it into one of the final tracks). We had a similar session during which time we crafted the solo for "Sea Miner". I had additional sessions with Jack to come up with keyboard parts for all the songs. I recorded myself singing the vocals and added the effects I wanted in the final versions. I showed Tom these as a reference for what I wanted it to eventually sound like.

We began tracking the final versions in mid-October starting with a 6-hour session to record the drums for all three songs. I had one rehearsal with Steve and Tom before the session. Other than that and listening to the demos on his own, Steve really delivered in this session on drums. Jack and I played along while Steve recorded his drums; I even mumbled some words where the vocal would one day be. All the while, Maio was there making everything sound great.

Once the drums were tracked, I scheduled individual sessions with Jack and Al to record the keyboard and guitar parts respectively. All-in-all, these sessions totaled about 20 hours. The vocals were done in 3 separate sessions with Tom, two of which were in a tiny control room with me engineering and Tom and I both wearing headphones.

While this was going on from October right up until the final mix session in early December, I tried to mix the songs as best I could on my own on my laptop. These mixes acted as references for the final mix sessions with Martin who listened to what I was trying to do on my computer and realized them in a fully equipped studio.

Throughout this entire process, my fellow classmates and professor for the final production class constantly gave me feedback and helped to shape the songs. Today I played the final mixes in class, made a few adjustments afterwards, and now it's done.

This has been an incredible journey. I can now say I'm a songwriter; I am better equipped at asking for help; I have gained more experience working with musicians, vocalists, engineers, and mixers to collectively move towards a similar goal; I have had a lot of fun simply creating a piece of art to share with you.

Please let me know what you think in the comments. I hope you like it. :)

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://clcmusic.bandcamp.com/album/clcmusic"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;a Major Song by Christopher Lars Carlson&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

For lyrics and full credits, visit the CLCmusic Bandcamp page.

MUST READ: Digital Straingelove (or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Internet)

2009-10-25T14:31:00.003-04:00

I am not one to re-blog. Given that precedence, my reasoning for posting this presentation should be straightforward. Just read it!

My initial reaction: I need to become an expert in data collection and analysis. The immediacy of our society has never been more apparent. There's no need to worry about being "behind". The internet is still so young, no one really knows where it's headed. Whew.

I would love to know your initial reaction below in the comments...

Read on.

Digital Strangelove (or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Internet)

View more documents from David Gillespie.

Starting A Home Studio

2009-10-12T19:01:00.009-04:00

I am fast approaching the end of my time at Berklee. Since being here, I've spent 100s of hours developing my production and engineering chops. I have learned the ins and outs of Pro Tools. I have learned the signal flow of, and how to best utilize, consoles for the purpose of recording and mixing, like the SSL 4000. And most importantly, I have worked with others to create many recordings, which has led me to the realization that I am capable of producing. I have the skills necessary to create professional recordings, worthy of existing in the commercial marketplace. (I say this mostly as an affirmation to myself, for we creative types are our own worst critics.)

As I leave the confines of my higher education bubble however, I realize that it is both the skills I have acquired and the tools at my disposal, that have enabled me to reach my current level as a producer. And so, as I venture out into the "real-world" I realize that I will need to obtain some of my own tools in order to continue to compete in the professional marketplace; therefore, the purpose of this post is to share with all of you what I intend to acquire in the coming (months? year(s)?) that will allow me to produce music from home.

DISCLAIMER: I already own: A computer (MacBook Pro), Pro Tools 8 with an mBox2 Pro, a MIDI controller (Axiom 61), and monitors... oh, and a degree in Music Production & Engineering.

My (eventual) Home Studio's Capabilities

Be able to record as many live elements at home as possible (i.e. vocals, acoustic instruments)
Have high-quality sample libraries to use in lieu of live instruments. (Note: I have every intention of using musicians and studios when budgets allow for it. And I will highly encourage anyone I work with to make such an investment. I won't turn away a talented artist though if they don't want to spend that kind of money. Samples will enable me to create demos that will still be far better than 9 out 10 bands' songs on their MySpace pages. p.s. - it's all about the mix.)
Be able to mix tracks at home as the pros do.

Live Home Recording

Three things are needed to record at home:
Microphone Preamplifier
Microphone
A proper acoustical environment
Preamps: The entry level preamp (entry level meaning entry into the professional market) is the API 512C.
API 512C ($895)
API makes an array of hardware used for recording and mixing (all down the left-hand side on this web page) that is the same physical size. As you can see, these devices need to be mounted somewhere. The home studio solution for this is the “Lunchbox”.
500-6B Lunchbox ($499)
Ideally, the 6 slots would some day hold:
Two(2) API 512C Preamps ($895/ea)
Two(2) API 525 Compressors ($1195/ea)
Two(2) API Equalizers (you decide which ones)
Why 2 of each? Certain elements are favorable to record in stereo: acoustic guitars, drum kits, etc. And sets of compressors and EQs can be used while recording something in stereo (or while recording two mono things simultaneously) and can be used while mixing to process individual elements as well as stereo tracks.

Microphones: In nearly every (pop) composition, the vocal is the most important element. By far. In order to create productions that are on par with what is at the top of the charts today, a great microphone is needed.

Here's a list, based on my experience, starting with the best microphone to suit my needs (recording vocals and acoustic guitars and home), the Blueberry, followed by other mics I would like to own some day.
The Blueberry ($999)
AKG414 (If you can find an old model. I hear the new ones aren't as good.)
Anything by Neuman
Shure SM7 ($350)
A tube microphone (ex. Rode K2)
Once one begins collecting microphones, you’re never finished. It’s a life-long journey. (I currently own two SM57s and an sE2200A.)

A proper acoustic environment: sE Electronics has recently made this infinitely easier than it used to be with their Reflexion Filter ($299). A no-brainer for any home studio.

Sample Libraries

Samples are created by recording every single individual note of an instrument, played in every way possible. Then, these samples can be triggered with a keyboard and the samples are played back.

There are two types of products I am interested in:
Expansive Sample Libraries
Instrument-Specific Libraries

The expansive variety:
Kontakt 4 ($399)
My limited research so far tells me this it the one to go with, but there are plenty others out there.

Instrument-Specific Libraries: You can’t fake drums. People create sample libraries of only drums, which are higher quality than what one would get in a general sounds library like Kontakt 4.
DrumCore 3 ($249)
Expansion packs of other drummers can always be added later if I wasn’t getting what I needed out of the existing drummers/kits for a particular project. (There is a deluxe version, which includes all the additional expansion packs for $599.)

Mixing like the Pros

Technology is amazing. In order to process audio in the past, one would need an entire room full of hardware to add reverb, EQ, compression, delay, and other FX. Today, all of this hardware can be emulated with software known as plug-ins. In order to have an industry level mix, a home studio requires a bare minimum in plug-ins.

Reverb:
Altiverb 6 ($520)
Bundles: Every company that makes plug-ins offers bundles that include “everything that you need”.
McDSP Emerald Pack ($1595)
Waves Gold ($1300)
SSL 4000 ($1000)
Personally, I'd go with the SSL 4000 bundle because I have experience on an actual SSL and then I’d add individual McDSP and Waves plug-ins to my collection after that.

Tuning: Even the world’s best singers are tuned these days. It’s a part of the “sound” expected in a professional recording, so anyone trying to compete in the marketplace needs to be able to tune from home. There are two industry leaders in tuning:
Auto Tune Evo ($320)
Melodyne ($299)
Berklee owns both, so I need to play around with both a bit more before leaving in order to decided which one to buy. (Chances are, I'll end up owning both some day.)

Plug-In Addiction: More so than microphones, a producer/mixer/engineer can never have enough plug-ins. There’s always some new plug-in out there that gives you a certain sound no other plug-in can give you. They’re much cheaper than mics and are up and running in a home studio with the click of a button.

The Shopping List

Here’s the list of everything “needed” to get up and running:
API Lunchbox - $500
API 512C - $895
Reflexion Filter - $299
Blueberry - $999
Kontakt 4 - $399

DrumCore 3 - $249
Altiverb 6 - $520
SSL 4000 Bundle - $1000
AutoTune Evo - $320
TOTAL: $5181

How To Best Spend Your Limited Marketing Dollars

2009-08-25T01:29:00.003-04:00

A friend recently shared with me that he thinks (based on some actual data) that a willfully given email address from a fan costs $1.50.

This is sort of a follow-up to a past post of mine, "How Much Would You Pay For Someon's Email Address?" which had some great conversation in the comments and even lead to another blogger writing his own post in response.

This means that instead of paying per impression, or per click, one could pay for only goal conversions, which in this case is those that sign up for an email list (via a free download trade-off).

This got me thinking. If I had say $2500 to spend on a new artist, how would I go about spending it? I am currently considering four options and perhaps you can help me make a decision: online advertising, internet radio airplay, PR, or touring. Remember, my goal is to acquire new fans' email addresses.

Online Advertising

Assuming an email address costs me $1.50 via online advertising, $2500 will get me 1667 emails.

I have bought online ads through Facebook twice now. Once to promote a contest for Project K-Paz (whose new CD is available here!), and the other time to promote a show for Tom Howie. Both ads led to Facebook event pages where potential new fans could learn more about the event and click through to each artist's website. The ads only received 92 and 7 clicks, costing $44.14 and $4.45 respectively.

If I were to take this to a larger scale, I would direct the ads to the artist's website or MySpace where the "clicker" would be led to hear the music. If a click cost $.60, then $2500 would buy 4167 clicks. How many of those would then download the music in return for the email address? If it were 40% (2 out of 5) then that would be 1667 email addresses ($1.50 per email address). Even if it was 1 out of 5, that would be 833 email addresses.

Let's call it 1000. That's 1000 new people located in the areas that I designated when I bought the ads who I can invite to future shows and offer products to as long as they stay on the email list. This seems like a great option.

Buying Internet Radio Plays

What about paying for internet radio play? Jango offers such a service where you can have your music played alongside the artists that you think you sound like while being targeted to your exact demographic in the locations that you choose. This costs $100 for 2000 plays, which will lead to unpaid plays if you are "liked" enough times. $2500 = 50,000 plays.

I'm currently using Jango with Tom Howie and so far we've had only 424 spins and have acquired 4 "fans", which would equate to 472 fans if we spent $2500. This is far less than 1000, but I'm assuming the numbers would increase over the life of the campaign once more people started hearing about it. Additionally, we are receiving feedback from listeners throughout the process, which we wouldn't get with ads.

Who knows what 50,000 listens would lead to. (What is the potential snowball effect?) Jango claims that 1000 listens should lead to 40-80 new fans. That said, the user base for Jango is far less than that of Facebook and you can only contact fans acquired through Jango on Jango... Hmmm.

Hire a PR Company

CyberPR is a digital PR firm that connects artists, authors and filmmakers to blogs, podcasts, Internet radio stations and social media sites. For $2500 you get the following:

Full online PR outreach with multiple placements on blogs, Internet radio stations, podcasts, zines, video sites, lifestyle sites, and many additional outlets as well as extensive exposure on social networking sites.
Your own customized VPK (virtual press kit). (example)
All your social networking profiles written and posted for you.
A feature profile in our newsletter “Pre-Cleared & Podsafe” delivered to over 7,000+ new media resources.
Custom station ID scripts so you can record personalized drops for the Internet radio stations and podcasters for additional inclusion.
An 8-week, step-by-step system for maximizing your campaign and overall online exposure.
Contest opportunities to giveaway CDs and merchandise on Internet radio stations.
Monthly coaching calls with our team to keep your campaign on track and moving forward.

The above is their $1500 package, which lasts 3 months, but the $2500 one last four months and also includes the following:

Your VPK profile sent to several hundred additional new media outlets.
Personal coaching from Cyber PR founder and social media expert, Ariel Hyatt.
A full Marketing plan created by our team to help move you along in all areas of your music career.
Billing as a featured artist at our Digital Press Conferences which take place 2-3 times a year in New York City.
Full access to Ariel’s workshops (either in person or recorded versions).
10 tour dates promoted and publicized (if applicable).
Your professional bio written for you by an expert in how to craft the perfect pitch and story.

How many new fans would this lead to? How many spins on internet radio would this buy? What increase would one see in fans/followers on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter? How much of an increase would one see in website traffic? If successful, this option could not only lead to a comparable number of fans acquired through the first two options (1000 +/- a few hundred), but it would also create an online infrastructure fo the artist to build upon.

And the 10 shows they would promote? How much more money would you make from those gigs if this company were to promote them? It seems like there is a lot of potential with this option.

Tour

How about spending $2500 on a tour. What are the costs per show?

Gas - $50
Food - $50
Hotel - $100

If the cost per show was $200, then the act could play 13 shows, but if they slept for free at fans/friends' homes they could play 26. Let's figure 20 shows then (because they are using Better Than The Van to find free accomodations). These 20 shows are mostly in new towns so attendance isn't going to be great. The average email sign up at the gigs will probably be 10. This equates to 200 new email addresses, which would mean that each email address cost $12.50.

$12.50 per email address sounds awful, but think of all the benefits gained from the tour option that are not gained by any of the others:

Experience playing live.
CD and Merch sales (minimal, but enough to make a difference).
The fans that are acquired are better fans because they had a real-life connection with the artist; they saw you live!
The potential to make money on a second round of touring.

After the tour though, how much further would the artist's online presence be built? What evidence would the artist have to show that their fan base was growing? Would they still be scratching their heads asking, "How can I get more traffic to my website and social networks?"

My gut reaction is to hire the PR company and stay local. Play fewer shows than you would on a 20-date tour, but keep costs down. Practice and watch your online presence grow. As a result, plan a tour then that could potentially be profitable with the new fan base established.

Maybe the answer lies in a combination of the 4 options:

Do the $1500 CypbePR package
Spend $750 on Facebook Ads (300 or so new email signups)
Do a 5-date tour on the cheap to grow your reach ever so slightly

I'm not sure... What would you do with $2500?

Tumblr For Musicians

2009-06-19T10:20:00.003-04:00

I know you're on Facebook... and I can safely assume you're also on Twitter, but are you on Tumblr yet?

I've been hearing about Tumblr for some time now. In fact, a good friend of mine has a tumblelog that I subscribe to. It wasn't until last night though, when I finally signed up myself and started using it, did I quickly realize the potential of Tumblr for musicians.

You are currently sharing articles, quotes, videos, and music on Facebook and Twitter. Wouldn't it be great though if all of your posted items were kept in one place? That is your tumblelog:

a variation of a blog that favors short-form, mixed-media posts over the longer editorial posts frequently associated with blogging. Common post formats found on tumblelogs include links, photos, quotes, dialogues, and video. Unlike blogs, tumblelogs are frequently used to share the author's creations, discoveries, or experiences while providing little or no commentary.

You're already doing this when you tweet a link, but instead of sending your followers directly to the source, direct them to your Tumblr page instead!

Why?

Another spoke on the wheel: yet another connection to your main site (which you'll link to obviously).
A ReTweet will send potential new fans to a site of yours (instead of YouTube).
A snap shot of you: a quick scroll through the archives on Tumblr will reveal a part of you, furthering the connection between you and your fans.
Automatically post a link to your main blog when you blog there, providing visitors another opportunity to visit your main site.
Did I mention Tumblr is also a social network? With a click of a button, followers within Tumblr can reblog your posts.

I could explain the social networking aspect more, but it'd be a waste of both our times. Just join already and see for yourself! And when you do, follow my tumblelog.

Your Tumblr Page = one more way to Connect With Fans (CwF)

Link back to your main website = Potentially leading a fan to discover a Reason To Buy (RtB) something from you.

CwF + RtB = New Music Business Model

Your DIY Activity Document

2009-06-10T08:55:00.002-04:00

As promised a few posts ago, here is the document to help you keep track of your DIY activity.

Download it HERE.

Its purpose is to keep track of all your actionable DIY activities: the "business" items you need to keep up in order to build a self-sustaining career. After reading all the great comments left here and in the Topspin Greenroom, I realized that this is not the end-all-be-all document for "independent musician success". On the contrary, it is just one more tool to help in achieving that goal.

It is my hope that as you go through the week with this sheet sitting on your desk, you will be reminded you of where you need to focus. If a certain column has racked up only zeros by Thursday, you should then shift your attention there. As you start to use the document regularly, track the results of your efforts with Google Analyitics, URL trackers, YouTube Insight, and MySpace plays. This sheet will not only keep you focused, but it will help you make informed decisions about where you should be putting your efforts.

Every artist is different. Some may see more results from reaching out to bloggers, while others will benefit from hyperactivity on MySpace. By keeping track of your activity and weighing it against the results of your analytics, you will hopefully be headed in the right direction.

You can download the document over at Hypebot, where Bruce Houghton requested to post it. While you're there, subscribe to their RSS feed if you haven't already. It's my go-to blog for information on the music industry. Also, if you would like the excel document, just shoot me an email. And special thanks to Álvaro Kapaz for helping out with the formatting of the document.

The Teaser And The EP

2009-05-31T22:59:00.005-04:00

Dear All,

Thanks so much for reading my blog. It is an honor to share my thoughts and happenings with all of you. I wanted to take a moment to share with you the things I've put a lot of time and energy into recently.

If you follow me on Twitter, or know me personally, you are aware that I'm managing/producing the careers/work of Tom Howie and Project K-Paz. I would not be working with either of them if I did not believe, 100%, that they are both incredible artists whose music I know you will appreciate and possibly like as well :)

Project K-Paz is a group of extremely talented instrumentalists lead by my good friend, Álvaro Kapaz. This music, we believe, will create a new niche that we're calling, "Spontaenous Music". Learn more about it here. There will be a DVD and CD released soon that you can pre-order now from the Project K-Paz website. In the meantime, please watch the teaser:

Click here for Full HD

And Tom Howie's new EP, "The Chester Sessions" is available as a free download right here:

Before forking over your email address, have a listen:

Not bed, eh??? PLEASE! Let me know what you think! It doesn't stop here; this is only the beginning! Your input could shape these artsts' futures.

There's still some work to be done with the Project K-Paz production. In fact, I am mixing two of the tracks for the DVD right now. For now, I wanted to share a promotional idea I had with you though and see what you thought:

Screenings coupled with performances

We will send out press kits to colleges and boarding schools from New York to Boston and see if they would like to do a showing of the movie on their campus. That showing will be followed by a live performance the same, or following night. The smaller and more remote the school the better, I think. This way, we could potentially be the FEATURE entertainment on a weekend. Larger schools are decentralized and in urban areas, we're competing with bars, movie theaters, clubs, etc.

So, if we can successfully target smaller, more remote schools, then we could possibly be playing to hundreds of people. CD and DVD sales could be substantial, and the following buzz and word-of-mouth could very well be noticeable.

Your thoughts? Worth the effort to contact schools and send them press kits (which cost money!)?

How Much Would You Pay For Someone's Email Address?

2009-05-26T03:22:00.003-04:00

This question was presented to me in a similar fashion. I do not suggest there is a right answer. In fact, I believe there is not enough information currently available to know what the right answer is. I'm sure you all have an opinion though. I hope you share it.

Dear Facebook,

Instead of paying you roughly $0.50 for every click, I'd rather pay you $X.XX for every email address I get as a result of clicks from your ads.

Thanks,
Chris

All of my ads direct users to a page where they can download something in exchange for his or her email.

By giving me his or her email, that person is saying, "I would like to be your customer."

What is the average revenue per member on my mailing list then for the average life span of that customer (the average time on the mailing list before unsubscribing)?

Let's say, the average person chooses to stay on my mailing list for 18 months. In that time frame, they have purchased $10 of stuff from my website and have spent another $20 by way of shows and merchandise for a total of $30.00.

Please note, these numbers came from my head. I'm sure all of you would estimate differently. And that is where a lack of data leads me to believe that we don't know what $X.XX should be.

Either way, go ahead. Have a gander.

What should $X.XX be???

Keeping Track Of Your DIY Activity

2009-05-05T20:51:00.005-04:00

In today's industry, the way I see it, you either are on your own, or you're signed to a label. I think an artist should look to get signed once they've taken their own career as far as they can without one. If, at that point, you are not satisfied with your reach and/or income, I'd try to find a label... but only then! Doing so before taking it to that ceiling, in my mind, is a cop out. It's giving up in a way because the tools are out there and if you can use them correctly, you can earn an income from your music, keeping 100% of the profits. If you're on a label, you can see 0% of profits if you're not a hit (obviously, if this was the result of the deal you signed, you probably got a nice check upfront, but after that, you're not gonna see a dime).

So, the goal is using the tools that are out the effectively. That's why I'm working on a document right now to be used as a weekly checklist for artists to keep track of all of their DIY activity. By keeping track of daily activity, an artist can see which categories they've been putting a lot of energy into lately, and which one they haven't IF the document contains EVERYTHING they should be doing.

I'll be sharing the document with you when I finish it, but first, I need your help! The idea is to have all the things an artist should be doing across the top and days of the week down the side. Here's what I have so far across the top:

How many new followers on Twitter?
How many new fans of Facebook?
How many new friends on MySpace?
How many new subscribers on YouTube?

How many emails sent to individual fans?
How many other emails sent? (bloggers, magazines, podcasters, radio, etc.)

How many personal messages sent on Facebook?
How many DMs sent on Twitter?
How many messages sent/comments left on MySpace?
How many comments made on YouTube?

How many posts made to blog?
How many posts made to Twitter?

How many new contacts at radio stations?
How many new contacts from the blogosphere?
How many new venues did you get in touch with?

How many established media contacts did you communicate with?
How many established venue contacts did you communicate with?
How many established radio contacts did you communicate with?

I know I'm missing some basic things! Like what? What should be added to the list of EVERYTHING an artist should keep track of so that they can easily see when a certain area needs attention?

Please help by sending this to anyone you think would be able to add to the list!

So You're Booking A Show...

2009-05-03T18:09:00.002-04:00

Tom Howie, the singer/songwriter that I am managing, just booked a show at the Midway Cafe on Wednesday, June 24th: 11pm show. He emailed me asking what questions he should ask the booker. Some of these questions he should have asked before setting the show, but here they all are anyways:

What is the capacity?
How many people do you usually expect for an act on a wednesday night at 11pm?
Do you take a percentage of the door, and if so, how much?... Or... Do you take the first X number of covers and we get the rest? If so, how many is X?
Can we sell tickets in advance? If so, what is that process like?
Do you have any local media contacts we can get in touch with in order to promote the show?
What are some successful ways you've seen others promote shows at the midway?
I have an EP that will be ready in a few weeks. Are there any local stores, coffee shops, bars, that you think I can get to play and/or sell the EP and/or promote the show? If so, do you know any of the owners?
One idea I had was to play on the street a week or so prior to the show in JP [Jamaica Plain, the area of Boston that the venue is]. If I had tickets to sell and there was a good location, I think it could make a difference! What do you think of this idea? If you think it is good, can you recommend some locations?

What questions do you ask when you're booking a show? What are some other ideas you have for getting people to come out?

Berklee Music Business Club Trip to New York, Spring 2009

2009-03-30T15:17:00.004-04:00

This post is to provide the schedule and necessary reading for all members of the music business club at Berklee who are going on the trip and to show people outside the club what we are doing.

THURSDAY, April 2nd

ReverbNation (10:00AM)
Try to become familiar with their site and be sure to read their “about us" page.

WEA (10:00AM)
We'll be meeting with the CEO, John Esposito, and all of his EVPs.

Elias Arts (12:00PM)
This is a company that mainly creates music for film and TV. We spoke about "audio identity" the last time we went. (their site is currently under construction).

Putomayo Records (12:00PM)
Very cool label that exclusively releases compilations. Within their niche, they're the best!

ATO Records and Redlight Management (3:00PM)
One of the greatest independent labels out there and its closely affiliated management company.

FRIDAY, April 3rd.

Foundations (10:00AM)
Management company... check artist roster!

Bug Music (10:00AM)
This is the largest independent music publishing company. Read everything on their site to gain a better understanding of music publishing so you can ask intelligent questions.

Sterling Sound (12:00PM)
Sterling is the world's largest mastering studio. This time, we'll be meeting with Chris Gehringer who is going to show us how he masters records.

SESAC (12:00PM)

Known as "the other" performing rights organization, they're membership is by invitation only.

Jazz at Lincoln Center (3:00pm)
One of the greatest places for Jazz in NYC. We'll get a tour of the entire place and learn more about what working in a unique place like this would be like.

Warner Chappell (3:00PM)
One of the largest publishing companies in the world.

Berklee Case Book - A Study Of Artists' Online Presence

2009-03-27T16:54:00.003-04:00

As president of Berklee's music business club, I led a group of students in the creation of a case book of artists' online presence. I think there is a lot of great information within it and so I hope you read it and choose to pass it along to others.

Thanks,

Chris

Berklee Case Book - A Study Of Artists' Online Presence

Terry McBride Talk At Berklee

2009-02-22T18:38:00.009-05:00

Being active on the internet really does lead to real life opportunities. I was asked by @BerkleeCollege if I would blog about this talk that took place on Friday, February 20th 2009, and so here it is for all of you:

Terry McBride, Founder/CEO of Nettwerk Music Group, gave a talk at Berklee about the "now" of the music business (instead of the "future" because things are changing too fast).

First things first: release music you love, not music you like. This, Terry said, was the only mistake he's made in his career. We've heard it a million times before: follow what you are most passionate about, what moves you, what you truly believe in, and everything will be OK. I think this is easier said then done when societal norms and the middle-of-the-road-majority in the industry tell us to play it safe. If you think you may be susceptible to these larger powers, read Tribes.

Terry spent the majority of his talk on the concept of a song = an emotion. I agree. If you think of all the most important songs to you, it is because there is an emotional attachment to it. A certain song is important to you not because of its melody or lyrics, but because of what was happening in your life when you first heard it. You have to realize that content (the lyrics, melody, hook) is not as much king as context is... "Context is King," said Terry when talking about the "now" of the music business. What is different about "now" is that we as artists and managers have more control of the context in which our songs are heard than ever before. It's up to you what your website looks like; it's up to you when and how you release your next EP; it's up to you how the public perceives you. So it's up to you what context is in which your music is received.

Terry claims that imagination is the driving force behind everything he does. (During the Q&A I questioned this asking him to elaborate on the "doing" side of things to which he nonchalantly responded in a roundabout way that he works 80-90 hours a week, but he loves what he does, so it doesn't feel like work) Out of everything he said, this statement had the most impact on me. Seth Godin talks often about how companies (and the individuals who run them) figure out how to do something a certain way, and then form a habit. Today is too different from tomorrow for this approach to work anymore. You must start everyday with a clean slate; act as though your marketing plan or you business strategy is the sand near the water at the beach and everyday a wave comes a washes it clean. Do not ever think you have things "figured out". You are never "right". If things go well for your upcoming album release, you cannot expect that the same approach 9 months from now will be as effective.

Let your imagination run wild, work hard, and have fun. And don't be afraid to get your hustle on. I'll leave you with this: a far more inspiring talk than the one Terry gave, but I mean, come on. How can anyone compete with @garyvee's energy and enthusiasm?

Idea: Artists Should Be In The Relationships Business

2009-01-26T22:46:00.002-05:00

Have you been to a lawyer's office recently? A good one? If you have, you'll notice that they have some heavy duty software running on their computer. When the phone rings a profile of the person calling comes up:

their photo
their job
their last few emails
the last time you saw them
their spouse's name
their cat's name (joke, but you get the picture)

Lawyer's are in the business of knowing people. They make every individual client or contact feel like the only person in the world...

So, um... how come you're not doing this?

Scenario:

Jennifer from San Diego, one of your fans, emails you randomly one day about how much that song you wrote affected them because their daughter, Mary, was in the hospital with cancer, and it was your song that got them through the hard time...
... file that information away.

Then, 6 months pass. You've had countless interactions with fans and not a word from Jennifer. Chances are, you've nearly forgotten about her. But then, you send out a newsletter about an upcoming release and Jennifer responds:

Ooo, yay! I'm so excited, can't wait!
- Jennifer
When the email pops up, so does her profile and her past email and her daughter's name and her location and, etc. etc. etc. So now you can write back:

Dear Jennifer,
Thanks for your enthusiasm. Those little emails are just as inspirational as the long-winded ones I get, like that one you sent me 6 months ago. How is Mary by the way? Maybe when I come through San Diego on the tour for the upcoming release on March 8th, we can meet up for coffee. I'd love to meet Mary and you.

The fan comes first. It's the artists that fully embrace this concept and truly understand it that are going to have lasting careers in the 21st century. (assuming you've got the talent!)

I have no doubt about this statement.

So, what are some ideas you have for putting the fan first?

Welcome To The Music Biz

2008-12-15T12:50:00.006-05:00

Like most days, today I received an email from Twitter notifying me of a new follower. So, I went to this person's page and saw that their most recent post was the following:

Looking at switching to the music industry, and bringing innovation there. Does anyone know of people in that business?

I wrote to him saying I could provide a blogroll and some tweeple to follow and he said he would really appreciate that. After sending off the email, I realized that it would make a decent blog post. So here's the info I gave to this guy:

My favorite company is Topspin Media. Their CEO blogs here and tweets @iancr.

Ethan Kaplan is the VP of technology at Warner Bros. I think he is one of their greatest assets.

Blog: blackrimglasses
Twitter: @ethank

Andrew Dubber is from the UK and blogs here: New Music Strategies
and here: New Music Ideas
and tweets here: @dubber

the Lefsetz letter by Bob Lefsetz is an industry must-read. I'm not really sure why, but everyone reads this guy. He's overly opinionated and kind of annoying sometimes. Other times though, he is brilliant.
Lefsetz Letter

Gerd Leonhard is the self-proclaimed media futurist. If innovation is what you are looking for, start here:
Media Futurist
Twitter: @gleonhard

You can't be in the music business and not be in the marketing business. For this, there's one blog to read: Seth Godin

Read his latest book: Tribes.

Derek Sivers founded CD Baby. He sold it to DiscMakers this year and his new venture is going to be Muckwork. Read over his site to see all the stuff he's got going on. He is a very impressive man (and a Berklee grad!).
Sivers.org
@sivers
@muckwork

Industry news can be found at Billboard (if all you care about is what happened yesterday). For what is going to happen tomorrow:
Hypbot
Coolfer (not a fan, but a lot of people are)
Tech Crunch (the tech world in general, but a focus on the music biz, too)

For news, be sure to also check out Artists House, which not only reports on what is happening, but has excellent analysis: something missing from many sites. (@artistshouse)

TuneCore's CEO (and guests) have great posts at the company blog:
Tune Corner

And then there is the alltop music site, which is probably the most overwhelming page you can visit as it simply lists some of what I've mentioned above and countless other sites.

So! Hope this is helpful.

I wonder what others would say to someone trying to enter the music business right now. I'm sure everyone's email would be different from this, but I'd hope there are a lot of things that would overlap.

IDEA: Interns

2008-12-02T00:20:00.003-05:00

Today, there are more students studying music business than ever before. These people have chosen music business as a career because they are music fans. And these people look for internships every summer at labels, publishing companies, management companies, studios, the PRO's, etc, etc, etc.

So you are an artist who may or may not have one person (a manager) working with you. YOU NEED HELP. You cannot simply record an album and release it today. You need to have a story surrounding that release. You need to film sessions, take photos, write on your blog, post tweets... (this concept comes courtesy of the blog, "9GiantSteps", specifically this post)

Collecting, recording, and posting all this additional content would be a great job for an intern. This is a practical experience that will look good on their resume and it's hands-on (the most sought after type of internship)!

So post something like the following on your website:

INTERN POSITION AVAILABLE!

I am looking for a motivated, hard-working individual that wants to help develop my brand and further the relationships with my fans. The main focus of this internship will be about generating content for my online presence.

By recording, collecting and synthesizing data, you will be providing the missing link between what I do day-to-day and what my fans might want to know about. The more initiative taken on your behalf, the more rewarding an experience this will be.
(Example: you take tons of photos every day so you start a blog that we'll link to from my main page that will consist of only pictures and captions. This can be just one of the many things you do every day.)
Upon completing this internship, you will have developed the practical knowledge and skills needed to further an artist's career with the basic tools available to anyone with a computer and an internet connection.

Maybe add some requirements and you're ready to roll.

Let me know if you actually do this. I think everyone should!

IDEA: Group Promotion Artist Coalition

2008-11-24T20:12:00.002-05:00

This idea is a complete and total rip off of a group of bloggers promoting each other's blogs in two-week segments. They add a new blog every two weeks and the list grows. For more read this.

The greatest challenge bands face today is getting through all the noise. How do you get your music heard?

Try this:

Team up with a group of bands that all have things in common (whether that's lifestyle, genre, demographic, etc) and promote one band at a time for two week periods.

- Blog about them

- Tell your fans about them

- Throw their widget up on your own page

- Tell your mother

Do whatever it is you wish others were doing for you and in return, they will when your two weeks is up!

- Have a distinct logo for your Coalition so people know about it and will be curios.

- Cycle through the bands/artists so everyone gets a new push every now and then.

- Consider adding new members to the coalition once it grows. (others will want in, I'm sure)

Let's say you've got a group of 13 artists. At two weeks each, that means each band will get 2 marketing campaigns every year. In learning how to promote others, you will undoubtedly learn how to better promote yourself. AND, you'll gain some clout and respect for being a part of something really fucking cool.

Maybe working 48 weeks out of the year for others isn't worth 4 weeks of work done for you in return. But consider this: it will depend greatly on the coalition you form. If you had a minimum number of true fans from each artist at say, 500, that's 6000 people the other artists in your coalition have influence over.

Now imagine your fans receiving info every two weeks about a band within your coalition. This is a band you respect and genuinely want to help out. You like their music and you have something in common with them so chances are, your fans will have something in common with them as well. Your fans will (hopefully) like the bands in your coalition and will thank you for turning them on to new, good music.

It's a win-win for everyone.

Think about it.

Free MP3 = Email Adress

2008-11-23T15:13:00.003-05:00

Someone I know on Facebook just recommended an artist to me via the iLike Facebook app. That is way cool. I like (ho ho ho) that feature and think every site that hosts musicians' music should have something like that.

But now I'm going to tell you everything that I think is wrong with this:

1. On the artist's page, there is no contact information. What if I wanted to get in touch with the artist and tell them how much I love their music and that I want to help spread the word?

2. The artist is giving away a free track, but I didn't have to give anything in return! Why oh why would you ever do this??? Get the fan's email address at the very least. That way, you can contact an individual who clearly likes you; they went out of their way to download your song. Email them and find out to what degree they really like you. Form a relationship with that fan.

3. When the song imported to iTunes automatically after the download was complete, there was no album artwork. When I send someone a track via email, the artwork goes with it. This should be the case when someone gives a song away like this, too.

4. Lastly, there is a field in the "info" window in iTunes called "Comments". Why not include a personal "thanks" for downloading the free track, a way to get in touch with the artist, and a URL???

These are missed opportunities that for some reason or another artists do not consider, but need to ASAP.

For S's and G's (shits and giggles), here's the link to the artist's page in question. If I can somehow find a way to contact them, I'll point them to this post.

The CLC Concert Series Has Begun

2008-11-22T20:00:00.008-05:00

Simply put, there are not enough opportunities for artists to perform. Thus, the CLC Concert Series was born. I wanted to provide a space for not only artists to play, but for fans to learn about new music. I strive to create an environment that is all about the music; it is small and intimate so everyone is truly listening. There's no chatter from the jackass at the bar because there is no bar (and no jackasses are invited).

So far, I have had two concerts. The first was on a Sunday afternoon where Megan Luna and Alvaro Kapaz played a selection of tunes by Megan's favorite songwriters. It was a blast for everyone involved. You can see all of the posted videos from that show at Alvaro's YouTube page, but here's one that I particularly enjoyed:

The second show was on a Saturday night. The room was dimly lit and jam-packed. And for some strange reason, it was nearly 70 degrees outside (this was during November in Boston mind you). The windows were shut so I could record the performance and it got really hot and sweaty, but no one seemed to mind; the music was too good. Tom Howie did a set of original tunes that left the crowd in awe. Be the first to know about this incredible artist who I'm sure will one day be a household name. Here are some of the recordings from that show and be sure to sign up for the mailing list if you like it; you can download all the tracks for free.

This is only the beginning. Future shows are in the works and will continue to stay in line with the goals of this concert series: to help facilitate stronger relationships between artists and fans. Let me know if you'd like to attend. I'd love to have you.

Targeting Potential Fans At Retail Stores

2008-11-19T03:12:00.001-05:00

Here's an idea I had recently.

At your next gig, take a hard look at your fans. Chances are, they will have things in common. Some of those commonalities could very well be where they shop. Go to these stores and hand out flyers to attract new fans.

Example: Vampire Weekend

All of your fans are preppy hipsters, but more on the preppy side so they still shop at J. Crew, but only in cool locations like SoHo. Make a flyer that says:

Congratulations!

You just made a killer purchase at J. Crew. In doing so, you have increased the likelihood that you will really dig Vampire Weekend. We play the type of music that fits in perfectly with the soundtrack to your life. Please give us a listen at www.vampireweekend.com We hope to see you at our next show!

(Oh, and bring this and we'll get you in at half-price)

Stand outside the store on Prince St and hand it to every person who looks like they could be a potential fan of yours.

I know, especially here in Boston, it's hard to reach new, local fans. This would be a great way to begin some new relationships. Speaking of relationships, that's what you should be building with your fans: real ones. But that's another post. I will say, that I think the flyer should not only have a URL, but an email address to contact the artist directly. And how about your Twitter username? (here's mine)

Ian Rogers' GRAMMY Northwest MusicTech Summit Keynote Address

2008-11-18T23:06:00.001-05:00

If you would like:

- a glimpse into my mind

- a picture of why I am excited about the future of the music industry

- to see what this shift in power you keep hearing about is

- to know the basis for how I am going to make a living

- to be "on my level"

- to know how to get my juices flowing

- to learn about the most forward thinking company in the music industry

- to get excited about your future

- t0 have something to talk with me about

- to know about actual current events in the music industry

- to be considered a smart, thoughtful, enlightened person by yours truly

then read this.

Berklee Music Business Club Trip to New York, Fall 2008

2008-10-30T00:06:00.001-04:00

This post is to provide the schedule and necessary reading for all members of the music business club at Berklee who are going on the trip and to show people outside the club what we are doing.

The New York trip this semester is going to be one of the best ever. We have lined up a few places we have never been to before that you should all be very excited about. Everyone going should read all of the links in this post. (Also, this is not 100% complete so please check back for updates)

THURSDAY

Reverb Nation (9:30am)

Try to become familiar with their site and be sure to read their "about us page."

Knitting Factory (10am)

This is one of the coolest venues for up and coming bands in NYC. They have three stages and are known for having bands return and "graduate" to the next level up. We will be meeting with a booking manager who will give some insight into their job.

Bug Music (11am)

This is the largest independent music publishing company. Read everything on their site to gain a better understanding of music publishing so you can ask intelligent questions.

ATO Records and Red light Management (11:30am)

These two companies share offices so we always meet with both of them. (the conference room we meet in was used in the filming of Spiderman)

IMG Artists (1:30pm)

"IMG Artists is the global leader in the arts management business, combining the highest standards of management with an incomparable range of services to its customers and clients alike."

WEA Corporation (2pm)

We'll be meeting with the CEO, John Esposito, and all of his EVPs.

Lincoln Center (3:15pm)

We will tour Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center and then meet with Antonio Ciacca, the Director of Programming to talk about JALC's presence in the music industry. Afterwards, people who visited WEA will be able to meet up with the group visiting here to sit in on a rehearsal.

Elias Arts

(4pm)

We'll be meeting with Susan Aminoff, GM of Account Group/Identity.

FRIDAY

Harry Fox Agency (8:45am)

"HFA is the foremost mechanical licensing, collection, and distribution agency for music publishers in the U.S. Our processes, culture, and technology are client-driven and results-oriented. We continually strive to add value and strength to the music rights industry."

Sterling Sound Mastering (11am)

Sterling is the world's largest mastering studio. We'll get a tour of the place from Senior Mastering Engineer, Greg Calbi.

SESAC (11am)

Known as "the other" performing rights organization, they're membership is by invitation only.

RCRDLBL (1pm)

"RCRD LBL is a network of online record labels and blogs serving up fresh new music downloads and exclusive content curated by our team of editors and partner labels every day."

Epic Records (3pm)

We will be meeting with the label president, Charlie Walk.

Blue Note Records (3pm)

This is always a great visit. We've met with a variety of people in the past.

What Is Your Name And Is It Unique Enough To Be Found In A Google Search?

2008-10-24T19:03:00.000-04:00

My name is Chris Carlson. This name is so common that there are two of us at Berklee.

Chris Carlson returns over 500 profiles on Facebook.

The top ten search results for "Chris Carlson" on Google are:

1. a dirt race car website

2. the profile of the head coach of the men's basketball team at UCSD

3. an article about a blues guitarist

4. the imdb profile of some crappy actor

5. an earthy jewelry designer

6. a profile of sorts on a PhD from carnegie mellon

7. a female teacher at some college

8. an article "he" wrote on venezuela

9. a guy running for the school board in Kirkland, Washington

10. an article about the basketball coach in position #2

I want to stick out from the crowd and so should you.

That's why I chose to use my full name on this blog and why I just changed my name on Facebook to

Christopher Lars Carlson

Thanks mom and dad for thinking that one through. Has a nice ring to it, no? And it looks good on paper, or at least I think so.

You can still find me on Facebook by searching "chris carlson" and sift through the 500+ users,

you can type in "christopher lars carlson" and I'm the only search result.

So is your name unique enough to be found in a google search?

The first hit in a search on google for "christopher lars carlson" is this blog :)

Response To Chris Jahnle's "On The Web: Music Technology Resources"

2008-10-17T03:02:00.000-04:00

This is a good article by a fellow peer of mine who I have never met. Chris Jahnle is a Music Industry Major at USC and seems to be on the right track, looking forward in the music business.

His article provides information and links to online resources pertaining to the music industry. Many of these I'm already reading, but a few he mentioned I am not. I recently came across Coolfer and TechCrunch, but didn't give them a fair shot. I am going to subscribe to them now in addition to the ones he mentioned that I am not familiar with: Wired's Listening Post and Dave Kusek's Future of Music blog. Thanks, Chris!

I would like to add a few links that Chris did not mention. (First read through his post because it has all the essentials. These are simply add-ons)

Ian Rogers, the CEO of Topspin Media blogs here, giving useful insight into the music business.

Bob Lefsetz writes The Lefsetz Letter: a wildly popular among industry professionals, trendsetting, over-opinionated newsletter.

Seth Godin's Blog mentions the music industry from time to time. His marketing savvy and outlook is highly respected and listened to by music professionals. Like Lefsetz, he is a trendsetter.

Thank you Chris for your post. If only you had made it a week ago, perhaps we could have met! To see what I mean, check out Berklee's music business club trip to LA. (next time)

Trent Reznor's Survey: Analysis & Discovery

2008-10-02T15:56:00.000-04:00

I am not a Nine Inch Nails fan.

I would have never known about Trent Reznor's survey to his fans if Bob Lefsetz and Bruce Houghton hadn't posted about it both here and here respectfully.

In this survey, TR asks for:

1) Personal Information

2) Interaction with NIN's recorded music

3) Interaction with NIN's live music

4) Music Discovery & Online Hangouts

PERSONAL INFORMATION

In order to connect with your fans, all you need is their email. Knowing their sex, age, and location will help further that connection. For example, your fans that live in Iowa will appreciate not hearing about your show next week in New York City. If they do get that email from you they say, "hey! don't they know I don't live anywhere near there!" and then they stop caring about you because you sent them one too many irrelevant emails.

INTERACTION WITH NIN'S RECORDED MUSIC

Here's where TR gets really smart. Not only does he ask if you've bought any of his album's digitally, but he asks from where? If only 2% of his music is being bought on iTunes (which he'll know as a result of this survey) then he'll know to waste no money on advertising there. Conversely, if a huge portion of NIN fans are getting their music from Napster, having ads set up there in the future might be beneficial. If you're not familiar with any of the online stores he mentions (iTunes, Amazon.com, Rhapsody, Napster, eMusic, Zune Marketplace, MusicNet, SonyConnect, GroupieTunes, LALA, ShockHound, Amie Street) check them out.

TR has built a rapport with his fans so he can ask them about their participation with "non-retail download services". Ever think an artist on a major label could get their fans to be honest about that!? Again, if you're not familiar with these, check them out: Kazaa, Limewire, eMule, Soulseek, The Pirate Bay, Mininova, YouSendIt, Megashare, RapidShare, USENET.

INTERACTION WITH NIN'S LIVE MUSIC

Favorite live song? How many shows have you been to? How did you first hear about a show? Where did you get your tickets? If you haven't attended a show recently, why not? I think Trent could have asked a few more questions here: "what's your favorite part of the show?", "do you buy merchandise at the show and if so, how much? if not, how come?" Still, this is good information he is getting here. If everyone has the same favorite live song, it won't be left out of another set list. If everyone hears about live shows via word of mouth, TR can stop spending money on advertising them.

MUSIC DISCOVERY & ONLINE HANGOUTS

I cannot stress enough how important it is to become familiar with all the places I am linking here. If I am not familiar with all the places music is being discovered and talked about how am I ever going to help shape the future? In this section of the survey, TR is finding out the information that every major label needs desperately, but are too stubborn to even realize this is the information they need. 1) Where do you interact with the band online? 2) What are you a member of online? 3) What websites do you visit frequently? 4) Where do you go to find out about shows? 5) Where do you watch videos online? 6) Where do you discover new music?

(no repeats here; some show up 3 times in questionnaire though)

1) nin.com, MySpace, Facebook, iLike, Flickr, YouTube, RSS Feeds, remix.nin.com

2) imeem, LiveJournal, Gmail, Last.fm, Digg, Reddit, del.icio.us, hi5, DeviantArt, Twitter, Stumbleupon

3) MTV, Rollingstone, Yahoo Music, Pitchfork, AOL Music, Fuse, Google News

4) Ticketmaster, LiveNation, Stubhub, Pollstar, Eventful, Jambase, Tour Tracker

5) Pitchfork TV, Vimeo, Pluggedin

6) Sirius, XM, Buzznet, Mystrands, Purevolume, Mog, fintune, ijigg, Bebo, Orkut, Friendster, xanga

This should be a good indicator of your internet music savvy. If you know a lot of these places already, you're on top of your game. If you don't know any, pick a few and start reading; better yet, start using them. Example: if you've always been skeptical of music subscription services or always have questions about them (should I put my music there as well as iTunes?) join one!

I'd love to see the results of this survey. I commend Trent Reznor for everything he has done and continues to do both as an artist and a businessman. I look forward to his next big idea; if I participate in it, perhaps I can have my own big idea some day, too.

Berklee Music Business Club Trip to Los Angeles

2008-09-28T23:45:00.000-04:00

It's almost here! Wow... I've been working on this since the middle of the summer. If it's not kick-ass I should just give up now (don't worry, it will be).

Here's the schedule and all the reading everyone should do in preparation for our visits.

THURSDAY:

- Village Recording Studio (9:30am)

- Browse the site and come with questions to ask. We'll be meeting with Tina Morris, the studio manager.

- Bug Music (12pm)

- Read everything on this site: all the links on the left and their sub-links. After reading all of this, you should know what music publishing is all about. We'll be meeting with members of the creative department.

- Nettwork Records (12pm)

- Scour this site for information. Read Terry's blog. We will be meeting with Eric Fritschi, the senior project manager. Tom Howie set this visit up. Thanks Tom! Half of us will be going here and the other half to Bug Music.

- Lunch and the Beach (1:30-4:30pm)

- We're going to come all the way to LA and not go to the beach!? Bring your bathing suit and sunscreen. We'll walk around Venice Beach and get a feel for this awesome part of LA. Before we hit up the beach though, we'll be having lunch with Justine Taormino, the Berklee LA Internship Coordinator, at the brand new Whole Foods in Venice. Joining us as well will be Dan Goldwasser. I met him this summer while I was interning at Capitol Studios. There are showers at the beach if you get all sandy; be sure to bring a day bag with clothes as we'll be away from the hostel all day and night.

- Topspin Media (5pm)

- Read their website back to front. Then read Ian Roger's blog--he will be leading the meeting--especially this post. Where you can "meet the team" on the topspin website, you can find links to other people's blogs, too. We'll be meeting with Shamal. (you can find that link yourself)

- Dinner @ Broadway Deli and the 3rd Street Promenade (6:30pm)

- This is a great place to hang out. Do as you please. We'll be in the area all night because right around the corner is...

- Bar Chloe (8pm)

- The Topspin folk will be here and we'll get to hang out with them some more in a more casual setting. They only card at the bar so everyone can go! Hopefully there will be some other industry people there, too. I also invited another MEISA chapter from the LA area to come. Oh, and Justine is going to invite all the students doing the LA internship program! Ian set up a Yahoo! event that you can RSVP to if you have a yahoo account.

FRIDAY:

- WEA (9:30am)

- Not much to read. Ask old members of the club more about them; we meet with Espo in NY every semester.

- Warner Brothers Records (11am)

- Read the site up and down. Identify artists on the label and then research what they've been up to lately. We'll be meeting with Ethan Kaplan.

- Weapons of Mass Entertainment (11am)

- Half the group will be going here to meet with Dave Stewart. The Wikipedia article on him is here. I don't know exactly what he'll be talking about, but I do have an idea. Read this article from March and this one that was posted to hypebot October 1st; it just might give you the knowledge to be able to ask him the tough questions.

- Capitol Records (12:30pm)

- Find out who's on the artist roster and what they've been up to lately. We're meeting with Darren Stupak, the head of sales in the marketing department.

- Geffen Records (2pm)

- We'll be meeting with el presidente: Ron Fair.

- Law Group (3:30pm)

- We'll be meeting with Ken Hertz. He's the man.

Songwriters/Publishing/Online Community Idea

2008-09-26T16:28:00.000-04:00

I had this idea today when my friend and new president of Berklee's Student Government, Brandon Kress, mentioned to me that he wanted to start an online community for songwriters where they can collaborate and network. The wheels started spinning immediately and I rattled off a bunch of ideas to make it happen. These ideas came to me as a result of recent events.

First, there was the new mechanical royalties agreement for online interactive broadcasters like Pandora and Rhapsody, which got me excited about future sources of income for songwriters and publishers. Then I had a great talk with Jack Shenker about the prospect of starting a publishing company. (I don't intend on doing so... yet... we just talked about the concept surrounding it) And lastly, I've been participating in an online marketing community since August that has been extremely beneficial to my awareness of new trends and ideas.

Given these recent experiences, I gave Brandon the following advice:

1. Try to get officially affiliated with a group of songwriters from a publishing company. Your community will then work for this publishing company. These established songwriters will act as the mentors for your members.

2. Start your community out small by invitation only. Make sure the quality is high and this will draw new people: new talented people.

3. The members will not have copyright ownership of the songs; it is about the experience of participating in the collaboration process with the established songwriters that will help further the members' skills. This will make it worthwhile for the publishing company because let's say the group writes a hit song. They won't then have to pay 20 songwriters. (it would just get too messy if the members were owners of the copyright) Each participating established songwriter could head up projects with a group below them and at the end, that person would be the only credited writer of the song.

It's about creating something of value. In this case there are two sides: the publishing company/songwriters and the members who are young, unknown songwriters. In the outline above, I think both parties benefit.

Agree or disagree? (Please leave comments here!)

Connect

2008-09-19T00:48:00.000-04:00

It's been too long since I last posted. I came back to the east coast from LA, spent some time in New York with my family, moved back to Boston, started a new job at school, moved into a new apartment, started classes again, took a trip to San Francisco, and completed week two of school.

So tonight I went to my friend Alvaro's apartment and we watched Before The Music Dies. It's a little outdated, being two years old, but it reaffirmed for me that I need to make sure I have no ties to the old models of the music industry. As the founder of ATO Records, Chris Tetzili, said in the film, we need to move from the record industry back to the music business. That's what they're doing at ATO; I know because I visited them last year with Berklee's Music Business Club. They were really smart, but more importantly, they were music lovers.

Bob Lefsetz talks a lot about catering to the core fan base. I agree. That's where the focus needs to be. New artists must connect with individuals. Record some music at home so you have something to reach people; try to do it for free and then give it away. Connect. Play shows and every person who comes up to you afterwards, consider them your new best friend. Get their email and thank them for coming out to your show. Do that with 100 people. By the time you reach 100, you're going to have to spend a few hours every morning writing emails. Wake up early and make a pot of coffee. Focus all your energy into your music and your fans. Then get some people to help you out. If you're the real deal, by the time you're ready to make your next album there will be a core that are going to buy it. If you continue to cater to them and continue to develop your craft, you'll have 1000 people by the time of the next release.

I want to help musicians be able to put "artist" on their tax returns by itself as opposed to "artist & barista".

Connect.

Topspin is Awesome

2008-08-19T22:26:00.000-04:00

Bob Lefsetz recognized on his blog that Ian Rogers was behind the new Byrne/Eno release; however, he failed to mention how awesomely seamless the technology on the site is. It so easy to use, that in two minutes I can make this post with a live stream of the album in question right here:

How cool is that? Topspin is going places. Watch them closely.

The Summer Of Los Angeles

2008-08-12T14:27:00.000-04:00

I am from New York City. I am supposed to hate Los Angeles. NY, NY does no mix well with LA.

Or so I thought... Actually, I never really thought that, but it is a gross stereotype that has been instilled in our culture. Joe Torre is trying to break that stereotype:

Thanks Joe.

Anyways, this New Yorker is here to report that his experience in LA has been great. I've eaten great food; I've gone surfing; I've been to some great shows; I ran into some old friends; I made some new friends; I drove along the PCH; I had lunch in Malibu; I had tacos on the hood of a parked car on the side of the street; I went shopping on Melrose; I went on hikes overlooking the city; I walked through vineyards up north; I lounged poolside; and yes, I sat in traffic. A lot. More importantly, I got a feel for the music industry here and it felt really good. There are a lot of people working hard to better the lives of musicians. They are making a difference. One day, I will start a company and the mission statement will include the following:

... to better the lives of musicians...

If I can be a part of something where I am helping other people live a better life, I will be happy. Being of service has always left me fulfilled. Only now though, I see how being of service and a career in the music industry can be seemlessly married. That's what I realized this summer. Working in a recording studio won't accomplish that. I want to be a part of something that puts a smile on someone's face; that enables a musician to not have to keep their day job waiting tables; that allows more people to put "artist" as their primary profession on their tax returns.

That is what my summer in LA has made me realize. I'm heading back east in a week. I'll be spending a week with my family where my responsibilities will include being the best brother and son I can be along with relaxing my mind, body, and soul before returning to Boston for yet another semester of ass-kicking at Berklee. This fall though, I have new direction and purpose. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Do It Yourself! (aka, pay someone else a bit to do it for you)

2008-08-07T16:05:00.001-04:00

So you should know that I read a "Music 2.0" newsletter daily. It is called Hypebot and it's where I first heard about Topspin and cool new resources for musicians like Gydget. The most recent tip from Hypebot that inspired this post is HyperDIY Media. This is two people out of London proclaiming to have started the first "label replacement company". They offer all the services, from mixing/mastering, to promotion and distribution at affordable rates. This could prove itself to be very useful in the future. I have bookmarked it on my del.icio.us account where I have bookmarked a bunch of other useful sites you should check out.

Working On Some Tunes

2008-08-02T13:57:00.000-04:00

My cousin, Mike Brown, is going to a wedding in Bogota, Columbia next week and will be performing a few tunes with a friend. So we're going to rehearse them today. Instead of buying the tracks online, I decided to used SeeqPod to embed them right here on my blog. That way, anyone can hear the songs we're working on.

Enjoy!

SeeqPod - Playable Search

Getting A New Band Up And Running

2008-08-01T20:07:00.000-04:00

My good friend Matt Anderson, with whom I played in a band in high school with, has a new project that is in the process of being mastered right now. He and this other cool cat, Aldous Davidson, have created a great new hip-hop album. The name of the group is Electric Shadow Puppets. Matt and Aldous met at NYU where they both studied film. Check out Matt's production company/record label here. And check out Aldous' latest video for GamePro.com here.

I will be writing much more about this in the future as I am beginning to work with these guys. In what capacity, I'm not sure. Whether it's manager, or band member, I believe in them and their music and can't wait for it to be finished so I can share it with you.

Today, we started brain storming on ways to get the word out. The problem is, how do you get your name out there when there's so much content today? Obviously, the most important thing is to get out there and play shows, but how do you get people to come out to your shows? Is online buzz important? Yes. How do you make that happen?

Over the next couple of months, the boys will be turning out some videos to help spread their brand. We will simultaneously be working to spread the word online while the guys hit the stage as much as possible in NYC.

So how do you "get the word out online"? Here's my plan, but by all means, any suggestions would be much appreciated.

First, we're coming up with a list of acts who we think are similar to ESP. We will then contact their fans directly via MySpace to let them know about us. We will also search the artists on that list in the blog-o-sphere. Try and find the blogs that would most likely attract ESP fans. The more niche-specific the better. Try to build relationships with the people running those blogs. Give them free copies of the record. Send them the videos. Hopefully they will post them to their blog and we'll be off and running.

So what's the goal? To get a bunch of hits on MySpace? I don't think so. I think we're looking for "true fans". True fans are people who love the artist and will always come out to see their show and will always buy their music. I think the goal is to form real relationships. I guess we're looking for new friends... Lots and lots of new friends. I hope we find them out there.

Any advice?

Earthquake!

2008-07-29T15:03:00.000-04:00

Well, it's not really related to what I said I'd blog about, but I just experienced my first earthquake. It was a 5.8 and I've been told that's no joke. For the official stats on the sucker, go here.

Oh, and everything's okay. I'm just glad I'm on the first floor at work and not the 12th. Heard it was shaking pretty good up there.

Coldplay (cont.)

2008-07-24T17:11:00.000-04:00

Ok... So after further listening on both A Rush Of Blood To The Head and Parachutes, I've decided that both records are good. If one were to combine the two though, you would have a most incredible album.

Thankfully, in today's technology driven society, I can easily do just that.

Instead of making a mixtape and sending it to each and every one of you in the mail, I simply created a muxtape. Here's my muxtape:

1. Politik
2. In My Place
3. God Put a Smile Upon Your Face
4. Don't Panic
5. Shiver
6. Spies
7. Yellow
8. The Scientist
9. Clocks
10. Warning Sign
11. Amsterdam
12. Everything's Not Lost

If you think I have made any poor decisions, or think my order is wack, let me know and I'll consider changing it.

Enjoy.

The Muxtape

Coldplay

2008-07-23T13:37:00.000-04:00

As you all know, Coldplay has a new album out. I haven't heard it though. Everyone I talk to about it says it's not that great. I did however come to acquire Parachutes and A Rush Of Blood To The Head recently. I haven't listened to Rush of Blood yet... but I can't wait.

Parachutes is really an incredible record. I haven't listened to either one of these albums since high school. I forgot how good these guys are. So stop hating on Coldplay, if you are, and go buy one of these older albums instead. You will not be disappointed.

This Is A Public Service Announcement

2008-07-15T19:28:00.000-04:00

I was speaking with my good friend Jack Shenker recently about a sad, but true fact about the music scene in Boston. (Oh, by the way. Jack recently arranged, performed, and recorded a SWEET rendetion of The Mario Theme and made a video, too.)

Our mutual friend, Alvaro Kapaz, is in a great up and coming rock band in Boston: The Adam Lasher Band. They put on a good live show and it seems that anywhere else, they would be attracting BIG crowds. They have a hard time getting 25 people to come to their shows though. This seems counter intuitive; Boston is filled with more college-aged people than any other city in the US. That is the exact demographic that goes to concerts most. On the other hand, there are more musicians per capita in Boston than any other city...

Maybe they aren't marketing themselves correctly, but it seems to me--and Jack agrees--that musicians in Boston are not supporting each other. When most of your friends are musicians, wouldn't it make sense that more of them would want to go out to see a good show than a group of mostly non-musicians?

This would be the case if all of your musician friends weren't so self-involved... but they are.

THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE MUSICIANS OF BOSTON:

START CARING ABOUT EACH OTHER.
SUPPORT YOUR PEERS.
ATTEND OTHER'S SHOWS AND THEY WILL ATTEND YOURS.
WORK TOGETHER: PLAY SHOWS AND PROMOTE TOGETHER.
SHARE EMAIL LISTS: IF THERE'S ANOTHER BAND YOU THINK YOUR FANS WILL LIKE, EMAIL YOUR FANS AND LET THEM KNOW ABOUT THEM.

It will take more than just making good music, of which there is plenty, to start being successful. (And I no longer buy the pleas and cries of others about how there's no good music these days. There is plenty. Lots and lots and lots.) But most importantly: if we don't care about each other, how can we expect non-musicians to care about Music, too?

Billboard's Indie Visionaries

2008-07-09T18:35:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to share an article about a new company that I am trying to get involved with in any way possible. It's from Billboard Magazine. Click on the title of this post for the full article on ALL the visionaries. Here is the submission about Topspin:

Just a few blocks west of the sprawling office buildings housing Yahoo, Universal Music and Sony BMG Music Entertainment in Santa Monica, Calif., a new company is setting up shop in decidedly more modest accommodations.

At first glance, one could confuse the small office for a rehearsal space. There's not one, but two drum kits, a dual turntable hooked up to massive speakers next to metal album storage cases and guitars resting upright on various stands. But then the hints of a real business appear—a recently assembled conference table and poly-con file cabinets waiting to be filled and a rectangular table supporting six workstations where developers in various stages of scruffiness are buried in their work.

This is the new home of Topspin, a company just emerging from stealth mode that could only exist in today's uncertain, chaotic music industry. Its first product, until now kept a closely guarded secret, is what's called the Topspin Manager—a turnkey suite of technologies and services that provides all the content management and customer relationship tools artists need to distribute and market music directly to fans.

"We've been going through a period of technology-driven innovation that has disrupted the music industry's business models, but the new model to replace it hasn't appeared yet," co-founder/chairman Peter Gotcher says. As CEO of Digidesign, Gotcher led the creation of the ProTools computer software that revolutionized how music is recorded and produced.

He and the rest of the Topspin team—which includes former Yahoo Music GM Ian Rogers as CEO and former MusicMatch product strategy executive Shamal Ranasinghe as chief product officer—believe that new model is a vastly decentralized one where artists mainstream and niche can directly engage with fans without the help of a label, if given the right tools.

Such tools include:

• A content management system that hosts and organizes artists' music, photos, videos and other media, along with a rights management interface that lets them determine how their content is made available. That includes a commerce engine that facilitates all sales and fulfills all orders, as well as the ability to set prices and usage rules. (E.g., some songs might be given away, streamed indefinitely, expire after a set period of time or be made available only to fan club members.)

• A fan management system that collects and organizes information like e-mail, location, age, birth date and sales history, as well as data on how many times a fan streams music from Topspin-enabled Web sites, shares music with other friends and what other artists they listen to.

• A product creation tool that lets artists develop special offers from their content, such as premium membership subscriptions, bundled ticket/track products or special e-mail offers—basically any way artists want to offer their catalog to their fans.

• A reporting feature that tracks all of the aforementioned tools in granular detail, such as site visits, song streams and downloads with the associated user detail behind each and all of it available in customized charts.

These are the full spectrum of tools the Topspin Manager provides, in return for a percentage of all revenue made via the platform. And unlike services offering similar tools, such as ReverbNation or Tagworld, Topspin is not marketing itself as a customer-branded service. It's a completely business-to-business offer, meaning artists can incorporate the platform into any Web site or social-networking page.

The desired result is to empower what Rogers calls the "middle class" of artists—those either past their commercial prime or too new to enjoy the marketing support of a major label.

"We're helping artists build their brand through a technology platform," he says. "We want to focus on the technology, demand generation and marketing."

For instance, an artist the company declined to name is planning to use Topspin to give away a new track from an upcoming album to fans in return for their e-mail address. That artist also plans to sell a number of singles in digital and physical formats, as well as the full album, a number of bundled products at various prices, PDFs, lyrics and more, all using Topspin's technology but via his own Web site and social-networking widgets.

Others like David Byrne, Jubilee and the Dandy Warhols are using Topspin to offer fans a subscription package with a host of content either exclusively or before wider release for around $20.

Individually, none of these ideas are in any way new. Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails have popularized the direct-to-fan download model as well as the format bundle. Former Throwing Muses frontwoman Kristin Hersh and L7's Donita Sparks established CASH Music as an attempt at a subscription model. But what's revolutionary about Topspin is how it aggregates all the tools needed to pursue any of these strategies into one easy-to-use platform, which the founders hope will inspire other artists and their managers to attempt the same in greater numbers.

"Look at all the established artists going direct to fan, or talk to managers, and the trend is trying to go away from the traditional label model," Gotcher says. "If you have professional management and any access to capital, do a 360 deal with yourself. It's all about optimizing multiple revenue streams and keeping as much as possible from them."

Gotcher first conceived the Topspin idea seven years ago as a potential extension of what was then MusicMatch, but sat on it because he didn't feel the market was ready for such as step.

"One of the lessons you learn as an investor is that being early is just as bad as being wrong," he says.

Since then, several important milestones have occurred to pave the way. The increase in broadband Internet penetration led to fans consuming more media online. Social networks created an easy outlet for artists to engage with fans directly. Music discovery began moving from radio to online channels like Internet radio and MP3 blogs. And album sales began their ongoing downward spiral.

At the same time, technology like ProTools made it easier for almost anyone to record music without a major studio or producer. This led to a surge in new content emerging at a time when labels, struggling from the decline of the CD market, began focusing more narrowly on instant hits and either dropping artists that were not carrying their weight or never signing others that didn't have the potential for blockbuster sales.

Just as ProTools brought the process of recording music out of the expensive studios and into the garage, Topspin hopes to take the marketing process away from the labels and into the hands of artists and managers.

"All the marketing done by majors is broad-brush marketing, not very focused or tailored to the specific customer," Gotcher says. "There are a lot of industries that do that well, but the music industry is not one of them."

Yet all of this is only phase one. Topspin has a grander goal in mind—not just managing artists' existing fans, but using the platform to help them find new ones. The company is keeping mum on exactly how it plans to do that, only pointing to an eventual rollout of new services at year's end or early in 2009. But based on conversations with the founders, it's clear the strategy is to leverage the fan bases of different Topspin artists so that one can drive traffic to the other.

"If you sound like Elvis Costello, how do we get you in front of Elvis Costello fans?" Rogers asks. "Those are the kinds of things we'll be addressing."

To do this effectively, a critical mass of artists would have to adopt the Topspin platform in order for it to share recommendations among them, and that's a big gamble. But if the company's founders are right about the music industry's future, Topspin is well-positioned to capitalize on it.

"The revolutionary thing for me is creating a new market out of the artists who have sort of been below the radar in the past," Rogers says. "It's a good thing for culture in general when this happens."

So perhaps it's only fitting that the TopSpin offices lay just a bit further west than those of the established old guard, just that much closer to the ocean's edge. Perhaps an artist-controlled future is the manifest destiny of the music industry. And if that's true, then the secret to achieving it may just lie somewhere in the boxes still being unpacked at this small startup's new digs. —Ayala Ben-Yehuda

How-To?: Strings for a pop song

2008-07-03T14:31:00.000-04:00

Disclaimer: I am a newbie in this world; I don't know much. (That doesn't mean I can't have an opinion though. )

So I'm at my internship today at Capitol Studios, and there's a string date that I was helping set up for. (I was setting up all the headphones while the Berklee graduate that's been here for two years was setting up a trifecta of $10,000 micorphones that were being rented for the session.)

David Campbell, the world-famous string arranger is doing yet another session for some pop tune. Here's what I don't get: why, oh why, does the big-time record company that's paying for this session waste their money like this? The strings on this song are going to probably act as some background pad. With some likely synths on top of that, even a good engineer, listening on a set of good speakers, would have a hard time distinguishing between these strings and what I think they should do instead: use MIDI strings with a few real overdubs.

An engineer would probably be able to make out the differences, but that's not who's buying the song for 99 cents on iTunes. Most "normal" people wouldn't be able to tell the difference in an ideal listening evirnoment, which practically no one does anyway! (I do, but I'm a music freak.)

It's just ridiculous; it's a waste of money, and once the people running things come from my generation, that'll be one less gig for Capitol Studios. (Not to mention, by then, the leading samples will be even better than they are now.)

This is how I am seeing things and it makes me overly speculative as to whether or not I really want to work in this part of the industry. More will be revealed as I stick around a little longer and keep my mouth shut. Like I said, I don't know much.

Berklee (thus far)

2008-07-02T03:52:00.001-04:00

I'm exhausted. I got up this morning and went for a run at 6am with hillary; it's nearly 1am now, but i have to wait for my laundry to finish in the dryer so I might as well write another post!

The Berklee College of Music is the world's greatest contemporary music school. I don't say this because I am currently a student there, but because I know it to be true from the core of my being. I am forever grateful to my parents for giving me the opportunity to attend such a school. It really is amazing.

So far, I've had some really great classes and teachers. The Ear Training courses have been especially helpful in developing my ear, and surprisingly enough, my voice as well. I've studied bass privately for the last 2 semesters with Whit Browne. He is a great teacher and has helped develop my musicianship beyond what it was before. I can definitely say that my timing, phrasing, rhythm, note selection, and feel have all improved in the past year greatly in part to Whit's help. In that time, I took Anthony Vitti's Slap Bass Lab and I really loved his approach to the bass. I'll be studying with him in the fall for my fourth and final semester of private instruction. I hope to work on my groove, articulation, technique, and spacing in addition to all the things I started with Whit. I must quickly mention Mitch Haupers; I just took his Harmony 3 course this past semester and he is one of Berklee's finest. I had heard it before from countless students, but I finally got to experience it myself. He is truly a wonderful man. (Mitch: I'm memorizing the neck on the guitar like you said so we can start up those lessons in the fall!)

There's just so much going on at Berklee! I could write for hours, but I'll spare you and wrap it up. I'll be acting as the new president of Berklee's MEISA Chapter, the Music Business Club on-campus. I'll also be continuing my classes within my major, Music Production & Engineering, in which I have gotten straight As thus far.

Lastly, I wanted to quickly mention that Berklee is the greatest contemporary music school in the world for no other reason than the students. I have met some amazing people so far and want to give you a few links to where you can learn more about them. I had the pleasure of jamming on a weekly basis my first semester with Josh Fobare and Alvaro Kapaz. These two guys are like two peas in a musical pod. When they play together, it is clear they both are speaking the Language of Music. Here's Al and Josh in a killer jam in a studio at Berklee. Josh is on the keys and that's Matt Musty on drums. Enjoy.

The Backstory

2008-07-01T22:08:00.000-04:00

Born and raised in New York, New York, I am product of "the city". Even though I may have gone to a private boarding school in CT for high school, I am very much so a New Yorker. Some will disagree; I go against the grain of the stereotype: loud, obnoxious, egocentric. I would argue that New York City wouldn't be the place it is if everyone fit this mold. The city is "the city" because of all the different characters that call it home--or say it is from where they hail--and it is in understanding this, that someone might be called a New Yorker.

Music first became a significant part of my life when I started playing the flute at my lower school--Allen-Stevenson--in 2nd grade. It was the music program at this all boy's private school that made me the musician that I am today. I owe a lot to Michelle Demko and Randy Schrade for their commitment to educating young boys through the art of music.

I was very passionate about the flute. I became one of the best flutist the school had ever produced, leading my section in the orchestra for the last two years I was there: 7th and 8th grades. I studied the Suzuki Method and composed original works for the flute. Leaving A-S made it hard for me to continue my studies though; I felt as though I had reached a plateau, and I was never as passionate playing in the chamber ensemble at my high school as I was at A-S.

Luckily, with one instrument dwindling, the next was coming into my life: the bass guitar. I envisioned that boarding school would be laden with guitar players. I saw this as an opportunity to be THE supporting role as the bass player for everyone at school and that's exactly how it turned out: in my last coffee house, I performed in 7 different acts. In my senior year, I formed Mr. Invisible with some other seniors and we recorded a CD. (Let me know if you want a copy. I still have about 30 or 40 in the back of my closet at home.)

Narrow-mindedness led me to The College of Engineering at Boston University, where I continued playing bass, but mostly on my own, and indeterminately forged my way towards a degree in Computer Systems Engineering; I was not successful.

It was in my year off that I finally realized that music was the passion of my life. I finally admitted that I was picking up the guitar, and I finally applied to The Berklee College of Music. An acceptance letter via email on September 1, 2006 gave me a feeling of excitement deep within my soul I had not felt in a long time. I was off!

My experience thus far at Berklee has been spectacular. I have met tons of great people--about whom I will share in the posts to come--and I have excelled in all my classes, accumulating a 3.95 GPA over the course of my first three semesters. In pursuit of a BA in Music Production & Engineering, I am currently interning at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, CA.

More to come on LA, Capitol, the state of the recording studio, etc. etc. etc.