Steve Kahn – Jazz Guitarist
Was he a Visionary in 1981?
By Mark Grove
This is a great repost. I think it's so vital for musicians to go back to analog to record some material you're sending a major or indie label. When every other band goes digital, go the other way. There are some great golden nuggets of info i read in an old editorial of International Musician from January 1981. A well known and progressive Jazz player was the editor of IM at the time, and is currently with Shrapnel Records, one of the first metal labels to ever come out in California.
This editor knew his stuff and how his music acumen could help musicians, not just make better tracks, but become successful bands period.
I was reading an editorial from International Musician Magazine in January 1981 when I turned 18. IM was the first music industry magazine I ever bought. Steve Kahn, well known jazz player at the time wrote his thoughts on Demo recording and submission. Back then, this had to do with submitting “tapes” not CD’s. But the tips in this article still apply to today’s technology. One factor involved in demo submitting is to position to your advantage how you set-up your tracks in Your CD.
What I mean by that is how you record and mix your strongest three tracks will be the tell tale sign as to if a label likes what they hear. Take your strongest song, fade it out approximately 40 seconds to a minute into the Song, that way an A/R rep may throw it in the garbage, or wonder about the rest of the song, and how do I contact this Musician. Also, a label rep may wonder upon a meeting with the band, does this band have not just the desire to record a major label album, but come up with solid material and the work ethic to back it up.
But the question remains, should you fade out your strongest song and the other two demo tracks. Personally, I’ve listened to faded out MP3’s that made me want to hear more, and some made me want to wretch. Steve Kahn also stated that having edited, or songs that fade out after 40 seconds are vital with progressive rock, or other types of instrumental music like Jazz.
Reason being, the section of the track that really shows a band’s chops are not usually until further into the song, not the intro. Most Musicians will come out with full length tracks in their demo, thinking that will be exactly what a label wants. In a sense you are taking a risk cutting edited demo tracks, but you have to think differently. That way an A/R rep may think, it’s short, sweet and a strong track. You’re already part of the way to a meeting with your friendly A/R weasel.
At the same time, include your best riffs in the other two demo songs. Practice Your demo tracks so your whole band knows them by heart. Play them like you’re on stage, and record right off the floor.
Mixing and Editing:
When you mix your material, you are naturally going to have the intro to the song there, and a small bit of the verse, then ending it. It’s up to you whether or not you want a small portion of the chorus in there as well. Keep the other two tracks short so the demo is consistent, and not waste a label rep’s time. A lot of you are probably thinking, demos like that would have been great to submit 20 or 30 years ago, but not today, with the advent of MP3 technology.
I’m not saying shorter demo tracks will work, but you have to be inventive; not just in the music you make, but how you approach a major or indie label. If you finally do get that call from a label, make sure you have a full version demo CD to give out. On the other hand you can send out both full and short versions to a single major or indie. Make sure you type out a note to go with the demo stating whether it’s a full or short version.
When sending demos that are short, make sure it states that it’s a short version and send it to the same A/R rep. Even if you don’t get a call, send the full version anyway. But don’t send it cold to the label without stating who it’s going to, because if you do, the A/R rep who listened to it the first time may not listen to the full version. This is just a strategic way of recording and sending demos, and if it helps your band get a leg up, all the better.
If you know your material is strong recording demos the way I’ve described, and send them by snail mail or on the internet, will move you further up the chain to a recording or production deal, If you persist. Don’t give up ever! Sometimes reverting back to analog like ways to record can help you more in today's web world.
But most music business is still done offline and face to face. Not on the intronets.
Mark Grove
Look for Jazz Guitarist Steve Kahn on his newest Shrapnel Records Group release
at:
www.shrapnelrecords.com
Was he a Visionary in 1981?
By Mark Grove
This is a great repost. I think it's so vital for musicians to go back to analog to record some material you're sending a major or indie label. When every other band goes digital, go the other way. There are some great golden nuggets of info i read in an old editorial of International Musician from January 1981. A well known and progressive Jazz player was the editor of IM at the time, and is currently with Shrapnel Records, one of the first metal labels to ever come out in California.
This editor knew his stuff and how his music acumen could help musicians, not just make better tracks, but become successful bands period.
I was reading an editorial from International Musician Magazine in January 1981 when I turned 18. IM was the first music industry magazine I ever bought. Steve Kahn, well known jazz player at the time wrote his thoughts on Demo recording and submission. Back then, this had to do with submitting “tapes” not CD’s. But the tips in this article still apply to today’s technology. One factor involved in demo submitting is to position to your advantage how you set-up your tracks in Your CD.
What I mean by that is how you record and mix your strongest three tracks will be the tell tale sign as to if a label likes what they hear. Take your strongest song, fade it out approximately 40 seconds to a minute into the Song, that way an A/R rep may throw it in the garbage, or wonder about the rest of the song, and how do I contact this Musician. Also, a label rep may wonder upon a meeting with the band, does this band have not just the desire to record a major label album, but come up with solid material and the work ethic to back it up.
But the question remains, should you fade out your strongest song and the other two demo tracks. Personally, I’ve listened to faded out MP3’s that made me want to hear more, and some made me want to wretch. Steve Kahn also stated that having edited, or songs that fade out after 40 seconds are vital with progressive rock, or other types of instrumental music like Jazz.
Reason being, the section of the track that really shows a band’s chops are not usually until further into the song, not the intro. Most Musicians will come out with full length tracks in their demo, thinking that will be exactly what a label wants. In a sense you are taking a risk cutting edited demo tracks, but you have to think differently. That way an A/R rep may think, it’s short, sweet and a strong track. You’re already part of the way to a meeting with your friendly A/R weasel.
At the same time, include your best riffs in the other two demo songs. Practice Your demo tracks so your whole band knows them by heart. Play them like you’re on stage, and record right off the floor.
Mixing and Editing:
When you mix your material, you are naturally going to have the intro to the song there, and a small bit of the verse, then ending it. It’s up to you whether or not you want a small portion of the chorus in there as well. Keep the other two tracks short so the demo is consistent, and not waste a label rep’s time. A lot of you are probably thinking, demos like that would have been great to submit 20 or 30 years ago, but not today, with the advent of MP3 technology.
I’m not saying shorter demo tracks will work, but you have to be inventive; not just in the music you make, but how you approach a major or indie label. If you finally do get that call from a label, make sure you have a full version demo CD to give out. On the other hand you can send out both full and short versions to a single major or indie. Make sure you type out a note to go with the demo stating whether it’s a full or short version.
When sending demos that are short, make sure it states that it’s a short version and send it to the same A/R rep. Even if you don’t get a call, send the full version anyway. But don’t send it cold to the label without stating who it’s going to, because if you do, the A/R rep who listened to it the first time may not listen to the full version. This is just a strategic way of recording and sending demos, and if it helps your band get a leg up, all the better.
If you know your material is strong recording demos the way I’ve described, and send them by snail mail or on the internet, will move you further up the chain to a recording or production deal, If you persist. Don’t give up ever! Sometimes reverting back to analog like ways to record can help you more in today's web world.
But most music business is still done offline and face to face. Not on the intronets.
Mark Grove
Look for Jazz Guitarist Steve Kahn on his newest Shrapnel Records Group release
at:
www.shrapnelrecords.com
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