3 July 2008

Q - I want to become a music producer and earn big bucks – where do I start?

A - Well.... there are various levels and descriptions to a ‘music producer’, which starts at the song writing level, then reaches into music writing and arrangements. Then there’s the studio production process, where a producer would arrange and extract the best out of the kit, the artist and their material. In some cases, mostly in dance music, the artist will also be ‘the producer’ and have an ‘engineer’ to assist. Although I have a part to play in the studio work, my producer guise comes more at ‘executive’ level where I would facilitate all of the above, then take it to the next level of packaging, marketing and distributing the finished product. This would involve funding the project too.

If you want to be a ‘music producer’ as such... someone like say Brian Eno or Stuart Price, it’s important to realise that there are some highly talented and sought after producers out there, so you got to be shit hot to have a chance of making it, and the luck to get to work with the right bands and musicians. I’d say, if you’re confident of your production abilities, the secret would be to work with the right people that suit your individual ‘sound’, and to keep at it, be patient - eventually some one will notice.

To produce music in the way I do, not in the studio, but as a A & R process and in facilitating releases, you’d need to have a very good ear, and again, the luck to spot a hot sound. From then on, it’s staying power, years of conviction and absolute commitment. Again, if what you’re doing is good and timely, someone will notice. It's about building connections and earning respect amongst your peers. It may take years and years of struggle, but if you hit it right, it could be a lucrative prospect. It’s about looking forward, thinking ahead and going by your convictions.

Q - Sav, you seem like a nice guy and you have carved a good career in the music industry what is your secret?

A - Well thank you!.... My secret is staying power, conviction and the ability to diversify across the board in the business of music. Having built and opened my own venues in the past, started and run my own record companies, run my own festivals, released over 200 records, A&R’d, tour managed, produced live gigs, promoted... etc etc.... I know about sound and how it behaves physically. I know the technical and legal aspects of all that is music, from discovery of a artist right through to the production, marketing and release of their music, the live presentation and production, the publishing, the rights and opportunities.

Having done everything necessary to support music over 20 years, it’s stood me well to know all aspects of the industry. I’m a 360 kind of guy, and know people that can get the job done at all levels. After several years at it, we find that myself and my pears have all grown together, we all reach higher positions, all helping each other to shout-out good music.

Q - Who would you say is the Mr Nasty of the panel?

A - The panel this year is great, each of us have our own likes, dislikes and expectations, and we all expect different things from the entrants. This makes for healthy discussion and a slightly more demanding requisite but it’ll be interesting to see which of our entrants ticks all our boxes!

Q - How would a band manager go about pitching their band to the record labels?

A - Find something good that you believe in, get together a good 4–6 track demo which highlights some musical diversity and the overall sound of the band. If you want to go to a major, they’ll want to hear a potential ‘hit’ or two, as well as potential for a commercially viable album sound. There’s a lot of emphasis on the live presentation, so it’s likely anyone that is interested in signing the band will want to see the live act too. Then, if you have a good demo and a live show, you’ll need to contact the right A&R people. Do some home work on the style and sound of the music and think about who may be best to send it to. A&R people all have their own ‘sound’, even though some end up chasing the same bands once there’s a bit of a buzz to ride.

It may be more apt to either put out the music yourself or go to an independent. Some of the independent labels have their own distinctive sound too, so don’t just send out blanket demos to all and sundry. Basically, you’ve got to get the music into the right hands... the right DJ’s, the right radio stations, the right pluggers etc. Again, if it’s good, the chances are someone will pick up on it. If they don’t get it after a good try, then it’s probably not as good as you thought. However, if you really think others are mad and you know you got a hit, you can always put it out yourselves and just get it to the right people. This is easier done with a independent record company, who are always willing to take higher risk with less ‘pop’ based artists than a major would. Although a independent would be less funded, they would give you some dedicated love and attention, and a bit of plugging know how. In the case of New Young Pony Club, when I discovered them, I simply put out 500 units 7” vinyl of the track ‘Ice Cream’ myself, sent them out to the right journo’s and DJ’s, and within 6 months they’d signed a major deal.

The major record company’s, tour operators, management and promoters generally only get involved with bands when either the band or the independent have done most the ground work already. So if you do go with a independent in the early days, don’t turn your back on them when a major sniffs! That’s just wrong, but happens a lot in this business. Likewise, I believe some of the majors should have a greater degree of respect for the small guys who dig out the future of the business from ground level. Finally... be prepared to drop something when you know it’s not going to happen. There’s a lot of good stuff out there that never gets a chance... It may be too ahead of its time, it may simply be untimely, even if its good. It may have fallen on cloth ears... Keep trying if you believe in it, but take on board all objective opinions. Whether we like a style of music or not, it really is about an individuals personal taste, but ultimately there are only two types of music... good music, and bad music. The history of music is frought with comments from people saying ‘they’ll never make it’ as well as people that ‘knew it all along’.... both have been wrong and right.

Q - What other things like Myspace are good marketing tools for bands trying to break it?

A - Myspace and all the other network sites are all good and fair, but useless without a fanbase. Get to know people, get involved, communicate, set up relationships. Get out there! Play live. Services like Myspace are good ‘back up‘ tools. The core of any fan base will come from playing live and getting to audiences. I’d suggest gig the hell out of the band. The more people you get to, the bigger the fanbase, the better the chances get.

3 July 2008

Q - In your time at the NME who have been the most awkward band you have had to deal with?
A - Pete Doherty was ridiculously awkward the last time I was supposed to interview him. He set-up and cancelled interviews seemingly on a whim and when I was finally driven to the lock-up under the Westway where he was living at the time I was locked in the car outside while management went in to get him, only to return saying he had 'friends' around and wouldn't let me go in, and also wouldn't come out to speak to me. Free-thinking Libertine or selfish, inconsiderate drug addict? You decide.
Q - I’m in a band and we want to throw off the ‘just another teenage band’ moniker and get serious about entering the music industry. How do we make that step?
A - Write better songs than anybody else. If you're in the UK, writing amazing songs and playing them well, someone will find you.
Q - Who has been the most inspiring musician you’ve ever met?
A - I'm constantly inspired by Stephin Merritt from Magnetic Fields - he's ridiculously prolific, having five bands on the go at any one time, covers every genre you can play on a mandolin and is out on tour again despite telling me the last time I bumped into him that he was suffering from a bizarre form of tinnitus brought on by applause and "women in gay bars". A genius.
Q - If you had a time machine, what era in music or musical event would you visit?
A - I'd go back to 2005 with a copy of today's sales figures for The Horrors debut album, show them to Polydor Records and save us all the annoyance.
Q - Any tips on becoming a music journo?
A - Bully a fanzine or student paper to let you write for them for free, get really really good at it, develop a unique style and personality to your writing that would add something new to the publication you'd most like to write for and then bombard their reviews editor with samples of your work a couple of times a month until they cave in and give you a job. Easy.

3 July 2008

Q - How do you get a good band more exposure – what is best to raise awareness and gain momentum? A - Best way to get exposure is to try and get as many support tours as possible, try and get an agent to put you forward for as high profile show as possible. This is more important than trying to get a deal. Q - How does a band get on the festival circuit? A - There are so many festivals at the moment it is easy to get on A festival circuit of sorts, the trick is to get on the RIGHT festival circuit. Again a good agent is the way to get this, or win Road to V. Q - What is the most ridiculous rider you’ve ever heard? A - Haha, that has to be W.A.S.P. it included boneless offal and a wood chipper to spry the offal over the crowd...oh and maggot filled balloons! Q - What sound is going to be the most commercial over the next year or two? A - I think bands like MGMT are leading us away from the more generic guitar/indie bands which is a good thing. Sam Sparro is bringing a bit more glamour to the proceedings as well. The Fratellis new album is great and I have heard some of The Enemy’s new tracks which are going to be massive.

3 July 2008

Q - Do you know of any up and coming events that we can perform at? A- Get as many gigs as you can. Q - We are a London group of three female vocalists who sing pop, R ‘n’ B, Urban, Hip Hop and ballads. Where should we be looking for gigs? A - Very hard, you should be doing PAs at R'n'B club nights - Mission Control and Concorde are great agencies for this kind of music. Q - How do we tell the difference between a good manager and a bad one? A - Track record and not asking you to sign a contract before they do a thing. Q - As a manager what qualities does a band need to make it big? A - Hits and to be young enough to contact with their target audience.

12 June 2008

This year's entries are very exciting and we are uncovering some real gems. Advice to all bands trying to break, build as much of a base as you can, use the myspace page and face book page and get people involved. The best bands are the ones ahead of the curve of any scene that's there already. The biggest acts in the world stood out and when people heard them their music made them stand out from the crowd! My advice is to have attitude with rock and some soul if that is where you want to be. Always remember to have the belief in the music, the flaming lips would be doing their mad show if they where signed or not, the greatest bands ever do it because they can't do anything else!! I am very excited about the new death cab for cutie album, panic at disco and pendulum. The Gnarls Barcley record is cool, Adele is a superstar, Racontuers are massive. Estelle is going to huge! And primary one is star with tunes. Good Luck!

6 June 2008

Well... First of all, I must say it was a complete pleasure to attend and be a part of the RTV gigs. There's been some unexpected twists and turns along the way... Of course, initially only having 1 track to reference from each band, unravelled some nice surprises once the live gigs took place. We've been treated to some very memorable sets... And the range of music has left the panel in some healthy quandary as to who could win. All the bands have their own individual merits and characteristics of course, which makes the judging process quite difficult. We've had a wide range of styles... some small bands, some big bands, guitar bands, hip-hop bands, ska bands, rock bands, folky, electronic, acoustic, young and old bands... we’ve had the lot. Some of the bands have come across well practiced, and some less polished, but nonetheless just as interesting. We've witnessed some crazy dynamic performances, as well as more subdued sophisticated one's, but all the finalists have displayed great musicianship and song writing abilities, and an ability to handle the pressure of, what was for most, their biggest gig yet. It was great to see such excitement at each gig, coach loads of fans going absolutely crazy for support of their bands... And the bands themselves really enjoyed the special superstar treatment... the excitement of photo shoots, TV cameras, a large professional stage to play from and even their very own 'green rooms' to chill in. Liverpool went down a storm.... with Married To The Sea treating us to some sweet song writing, KC braving it totally solo on stage, and The Shallow Call rocking the house down. The Situationists were as cool as it gets, Walk Don't Walk provided us with a strong set, and Alexis Blue were very smooth indeed. London provided us with yet more food for thought and excitement, again , widely varying in styles and sounds which made for very entertaining gigs indeed. The Rebs was a great performance with some very good songs, Imperial Leisure... what can I say... how much more fun could we get on one stage?... and a brass section to die for! Floors And Walls gave us a front man we couldn't take our eyes off, The More Assured were very slick indeed, and the Idle Lovers were professional, tight and as cool as it gets. The final night in London gave us a unexpected treat in Matt Trakker singer songwriter, was only his 3rd gig with the band and proceeded to finish his set with a beautifully crafted 8 minute epic which was very brave but perfectly executed. The Wireless looked and sounded very sweet... great drumming and strong vocals. Mama shamone was a perfect finish, with a tight set and amazing energy emanating from stage when they were on. Everyone was very happy by the end of it all... i’m sure the bands were somewhat relieved when it was all done... the build-up to the gigs must have been nerve racking for all of them, but they handled it brilliantly! All the bands are very sweet and mellow people which meant that everyone had a fantastic time, but the smiles on the fans faces said it all... good times was had by all. Now we’re faced with the tough task of choosing a winner or two.... although I reckon they’re all ‘winners’... even getting on TV is tough for any new band, so they’ve all done well really... great things can happen for all these bands on Road To V.

6 June 2008

If we learnt one thing from the five nights of Road To V mania in London and Liverpool this May, it was to never underestimate the unsigned talent beating down the music industry’s gates. Sitting around a judge’s table listening to songs entered by bands to the competition and choosing our Top Fourteen (a difficult enough process as it was, leaving us with fourteen bands all of whom I really wanted to win for one reason or another) is one thing, but whether those bands can come onto a stage in front a venue full of cameras and deliver with the power, pizzazz and passion of a V Festival opener is another matter entirely. The thing is, pretty much all of them did. Bands that seemed out of their depth were a remarkable minority; most of the bands I saw were well drilled gigging machines. Situationists, The More Assured, Alexis Blue, The Idle Lovers, The Wireless, Matt Trakker (who’d amazingly only had his impressively Pavement-esque band together for three weeks)… they all tore the place up with rampant self-belief and pummelling tune frenzies, and would all make worthy winners. And the acts bringing something different to the contest fared well too: Floors & Walls had the angriest frontman V Festival might ever see at 10am, Mama Chamone had the sultry electro-funk of a barrelful of Santogolds and The Rebs, as I suspected when we put them through, tweaked Carl Barat’s ear with the bluesy take on The Libertines. For me personally, two acts stood out though. In Liverpool, Walk. Don’t Walk were a sensation; with a crowd flinging themselves, their friends, their clothes and their dignity to the four winds, they roared through an impassioned set of funky Futureheads dancefloor anthems that made girls not just dance but spin on their heads like MDMA crazed maniacs. And in London, Imperial Leisure owned the Islington Academy from the second they took the stage – with a stage-diving trombonist, a representative from every musical genre since punk onstage and a righteously melodic toe in everything from hip-hop to ska to hard rock to soul to ultra-cool indie, they simply nailed your eyes to the stage. One thing’s for sure – they’d certainly wake up V. Those might be my picks of the bunch, but it’s far from an easy decision. As the final night ended and the panel convened on some upstairs sofas for a light-hearted on-camera overview of the nights we’d seen, one question from our interviewer – ‘What did you think of the bands?’ - set off a twenty-minute argument over the vastly varying opinions of the judges that made it clear that no one band was a shoo-in to the winner’s slot. We’ve all got strong opinions on which bands deserve to win, and there’ll probably be bloodshed over the final panel round-table before the winners are announced. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to sharpen my fingernails.

1 June 2008

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1 June 2008

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