The Music Business Buddy
A podcast that aims to educate and inspire music creators in their quest to achieving their goals by gaining a greater understanding of the business of music. A new episode is released each Wednesday and aims to offer clarity and insight into a range of subjects across the music industry, all through the lens of a music creator for the benefit of other music creators. The series includes soundbites and interviews with guests from all over the world together with commentary and clarity on a range of topics. The podcast is hosted by award winning music industry professional Jonny Amos.
Jonny Amos is a music producer with credits on a range of major and independent labels, a songwriter with chart success in Europe and Asia, a senior lecturer in both music creation and music business at BIMM University UK, director of The SongLab Ltd and the author of The Music Business for Music Creators.
www.jonnyamos.com
The Music Business Buddy
Episode 37: Song Presentation and Pitching
Explore the intricacies of pitching songs to different types of music industry professionals whilst understanding the nuances that could enhance a music creator's career. Learn why demo recordings often hold the key to capturing early excitement and understand how embellishing your production and tailoring your pitch can make all the difference. Whether you're showcasing your potential as an artist or pitching a finished song to a sync agent, find out what each gatekeeper is really looking for.
Join the adventure into defining your unique sound without losing your way. Understand the importance of self-exploration before collaborating with producers and why working with the right mix engineer could be your secret weapon. Discover the strategic advantage of providing raw vocal tracks to DJ producers and tapping into platforms like SoundBetter and AirGigs for top-notch session musicians. Plus, uncover how the latest music creation software is revolutionizing how artists craft their sound. Get ready for insights and inspiration that could shape your journey in the music industry by refining the product that represents you.
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The Music Business Buddy. The Music Business Buddy Hello everybody and a very warm welcome to you. You're listening to the Music Business Buddy with me, johnny Amos, podcasting out of Birmingham in England. I'm the author of the book the Music Business for Music Creators, available in hardback, paperback and ebook formats. I'm also a music creator with credits on a variety of labels as a writer, producer, and I'm also a senior lecturer in music business and music creation. Wherever you are and whatever you do, consider yourself welcome to this podcast and to a part of the community. I'm here to try and educate and inspire music creators from all over the world in their quest to achieving their goals by gaining a greater understanding of the business of music.
Speaker 1:Okay, so in this week's episode, I'm talking about the expected standards of song presentation, and this is especially in regard to the difference between pitching to producers, to pitching to labels, to pitching to publishers. What are the standards that are expected? You know there are various different expectations of music creators in the modern era, not least in relation to song presentation, and many music creators feel that, you know, it is perhaps, maybe unfair to expect them to deliver high quality recordings of their music. There are instances where they do have to do that. There are instances where it's not quite as important. So we're going to look at some of the differences in those things. You know, if we think about how affordable portable technology is these days, coupled with the wealth of free educational content out there on the likes of YouTube, there's kind of, in the eyes of some, no excuse for failing to kind of reach a particular standard. But it also acquires a certain level of skill set to be able to understand how to do that. Or it's about working in partnership with others that can help. So, regardless of your perspective on the subject, the undeniable truth is that high quality song presentation is kind of just expected today. Now, this does not mean that, you know, of course, all music creators must be experts on music production. It just means that they need to be a little bit more informed. So that's what we're going to look at today.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's start off by talking about demo recordings. Now I'm just going to put my producer hat on for a minute. At a time when, when you know, so many of us are in a rush and there's such a sense of urgency to create a final product, there is often a tendency to maybe kind of overlook the importance of a demo before a recording takes place. So you know, with digital audio workstation recording processes, you know a demo can start in a DAW project and then it gets taken to a finished master stage within that same project file. So, but just those initial stages of starting a song or a song recording can be very, very, very overlooked sometimes. So you know it doesn't mean that a demo is a pointless exercise. You know so many demos capture a sense of excitement and magic. Some get released even and become hit records exercise. You know so many demos capture a sense of excitement and magic. Some get released even and become hit records. You know demos form a part of the pre-production process. You know a point in which something can be improved upon. So this could be as simple as a band recording in their rehearsal space with their phone. You, that can give an informed perspective. Demos can also demonstrate progression and in some cases there can be useful tools to pitch to specific professionals. So that's the first thing to discuss, right, that important process of capturing something early. That doesn't need to be an absolutely, really really high end quality but will increase the likelihood of gaining a better result further down the line.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's now look at some of the variations between pitching to, let's say, for example, sync agents or artist managers, publishers, etc. Let's start with record companies. So before pitching to a record company, it's healthy to ask what the intention is before anything is pitched. For example, if the goal is to showcase the capacity to be a great recording artist and there's unreleased material that represents the songs and the artist, then pitching a high quality demo would be relevant. However, if an artist is looking to pitch product to license to a record label for release, the product must be finished in order for the label to even consider it. So in this case, the label would be considering not only the suitability of the artist but also the capability of the product. So those are two very different pitches. There. Maybe, with you know, there would be an expected standard that the recording quality and the production values are of a good standard already in both situations. But there's a difference between looking to license something through a label and looking to showcase to a label what an artist can do.
Speaker 1:Okay, so what about pitching to music publishers? You know, again, the purpose of the pitch is hugely relevant. So there's little point in sending songs off without any kind of intention or purpose, in the hope that someone will maybe email back with great news and a contract. That can happen, but it is rare, because it's important to understand why it is that you're reaching out to that music publisher. They need to know that too. There needs to be a reason as to why a song is being pitched to that person that you're pitching to. So, for instance, if a songwriter wants to show a music publisher that they can write great songs but they lack good collaborators to produce those songs, then perhaps the music publisher would gladly receive maybe a SoundCloud link with some demos showcasing songwriting skills that can be developed through a collaborative setting.
Speaker 1:However, if the songwriter is pitching a song that they would like to get cut with an artist on a label, then it needs to be a finished final end product. You know, with the production at a high level, and that you know there are two primary reasons for that. The first is because the pitch needs to demonstrate the song is a good fit for the intended artist, which requires the song to be actually produced in a way that sounds relevant, interesting and and professional. And secondly, if the label that the partner is working with likes the recording of that song. They may wish to actually buy the production, which means that it needs to be finished before the song is pitched.
Speaker 1:Ok, what about pitching to artist managers? Now, this perhaps is more dependent on the preferences of the manager and also the music genre that the creator is working in. So, for example, in the case of a pop act that has lots of interesting hooks and song ideas that could be embellished further with the aid of the right producer, you know, perhaps a short exhibition of their work could be appreciated by a manager. On the other hand, many artist managers want to see that an artist has already kind of established themselves to a certain extent, and this means having released product to share that exhibits their style already. So the manager knows what they're buying into Bands that have a solid understanding of their genre, an audience, for example, will do far better by pitching, finished and released music to managers.
Speaker 1:What about songwriter-producer managers? You know they may manage artists as well, but you get many managers that just specialise in managing writers and producers. So if a songwriter or a songwriting producer or a producer who specialises in production and arrangement is pitching to a potential manager, they should ensure that a portfolio of their work is available online for the manager to access. Now the expectation here will usually be some kind of track record of success together with perhaps an idea of what their next career steps might look like and where that manager can then fit into that plan. So the creator will be expected to specialise, perhaps in a style or in perhaps multiple styles, but with an indication as to where they want to go next with that manager.
Speaker 1:Ok, what about pitching to sync agents? So you know, a sync agent will always expect to see the finished product and it's unlikely that a sync agent are ever going to kind of come back to a music creator and show interest maybe in a song but then ask for maybe the arrangement or the production to be reworked. I mean, maybe that happens, but I've never witnessed it in my experience. You know, the sync agent's decision on whether or not they work with that music creator will be based on the potential not only of the song but of the recording of that song, and a sync agent is generally looking for finished product that they can pitch into licensable opportunities. So the idea of pitching a demo to a sync agent would not really be suitable.
Speaker 1:All right, now, what about pitching to producers, because we know that when the right artist is put together with the right producer and there's the right synergetic energy between them, it can conjure up and yield some fantastic results. So what does that look like when a songwriting artist is pitching to a producer? So you know, if that artist is keen to work with that producer, it's probably fairly pointless to kind of pitch a final end product to them, because it kind of takes away from what the producer does. However, if the artist could pitch a kind of self-produced project showcasing their ideas and maybe their arrangements or brief arrangements which could then be re-recorded or further embellished by the producer, then it feels like an invitation to the producer, because they kind of have an understanding of what they could do, what they could bring to that song and to that artist. Now, I know some producers that would prefer to receive a kind of roughly recorded acoustic demo just as a starting point for a recording project, along with maybe some kind of reference as to what they would like it to sound like.
Speaker 1:But it's also worth remembering that a producer will ask similar questions to what a manager and to what an A&R and what a PR would ask, which is what is your genre? What style are you wanting to achieve? You know, these are the questions that will inevitably come up. So it's important, I think, that artists should kind of try and dig deep into some kind of self-discovery on their style before seeking work with a producer. You know, there's nothing wrong with a producer offering some kind of vision to the artist, especially if it's informed by industry practice rather than just opinion, practice rather than just opinion. But if a producer misinterprets the artist's stylistic intention, then the artist can kind of be, you know, kind of be stuck with that wrong vision.
Speaker 1:So often artists don't know what they want their sound to be until they've explored options. And this is where artists can get really creative inside their own door projects, without the emphasis of having to be under pressure to create that end product before they work with the producer. You know, some artists don't know what they want until they try things out, and that can, you know, often eliminate some of the options from their kind of artistic self-inquiry. It can get expensive, though, of course, working with producers, especially if you get it wrong. So those questions, those dig deep questions, are you know, what kind of style am I? Where do I belong in my genre. You know, I would not always expect an artist to have to rely on a producer to come up with those answers. So the way in which that artist might pitch to that producer is to kind of give an indication as to where they want to go and where they're at, or how far they can take it without that producer. It then gives an idea to that producer as to what can be done with them.
Speaker 1:Another tendency that I've noticed among many emerging recording artists is to kind of rely upon the recording engineer to produce or to even mix that recording. Now, that can sometimes work, especially if the vision is aligned. But there's also nothing wrong with working with a recording engineer or working with a producer. And then the artist then asks for those stems to be exported, and they then take those stems to be remixed by somebody else that does have a greater vision for what they could do. So it's always good to come out of that session with those stems.
Speaker 1:Okay, now what about pitching to DJs? So this might be, for example, a songwriting artist or a top liner that wants to pitch what they have created to a DJ so that that DJ can then produce a track with that song that they can then license for release through their label or through other labels that they work with. So this is an opportunity for songwriters to have their track produced in a specific electronic style of music drum and bass, techno, tech, house, house, whatever it might be. So in that particular case, there is very little point in fact there's no point really in pitching a final end produced track with a full arrangement Because, again, that takes away from what the DJ producer actually does. It's almost like kind of being invited to a party that's full and you can't get in. You know, it's like we need to leave creative reign to that producer and to that DJ. So what does the pitch look like? As I say, there's no point in pitching a full production here.
Speaker 1:So a DJ producer would like to receive a vocal and guitar or a vocal and piano, or maybe even just the vocal. So if it is just that acapella, it would need to have some kind of understanding as to where it fits, what speed it is. So, for example, labelling an acapella with the tempo, maybe even an indication of mood and particularly the labelling of the key as well, which would be very useful to a DJ producer. It is at that point they might then hear that acapella and say, hey, I want to build something around this, and they work reactively to that vocal. That's a great way of working with DJ producers, all right.
Speaker 1:So in this context we should also probably talk a little bit about outsourcing, because putting together an entire arrangement relies upon, you know, having the right parts in the actual arrangement. So this may involve outsourcing an aspect of the arrangement to a specific musician. Maybe that can add, you know, value to how that song is presented. There's a lot of reliable web-based platforms out there, such as the likes of sound better and air gigs, even fiverr. There's some really good people out there. Maybe it's like a sax player or guitar player, someone that you can just kind of hire to be able to add that ingredient x into that song arrangement.
Speaker 1:Maybe, for example, that you know you might have somebody that's created, let's say, a trombone part but they've played it in with a kind of software instrument that doesn't quite sound like a real trombone, but they want to have a real trombonist play on there and they could then export that particular part and hire somebody at a really quite reasonable cost for them to be able to re-record that in their own environment and send that back as an audio file. All of a sudden that trombone part will sound a lot better and become a, you know, quite a significant part of the song, maybe. So the goal there would be to have a real instrument player replicate the part that's already been created. Alternatively, a creator may wish to hire a guitar player to record some parts, but maybe they don't know what those parts are. That is where sending reference tracks of existing songs can be useful to a session musician. So there's less room here for interpretation, right, so the creator can still play an important role in the stylistic output of the track. But again, communication is the key thing. Don't overlook outsourcing. It's an important part of building a track in the modern era.
Speaker 1:Okay, what about loops and samples? You know the music creation software marketplace is evolving at such a pace, with some truly pioneering steps being taken year after year. It's hard to keep up with all the things that are coming out all the time. In fact it can be quite overwhelming. It can lead to a little bit of procrastination at times. But anyway, a seemingly endless array of sample libraries and software instruments, effects, plugins and synths soft synths and are affordable and software instruments, effects, plugins and synths soft synths and are affordable, and as the market grows, competition follows, which tends to make price points even more appealing to music creators. Sample packs give music creators instant access to kind of the building blocks of a specific genre or a specific style, which they can then utilise in their own creative works, because they're royalty free. You know, very, very good quality synths are also readily available, and a combination of all of those tools can unlock potential in creators and inspire many to achieve far more with their music. It is entirely possible today for a drummer to record their parts and then to replace all those drum hits quite quickly with the sound of a completely different drum kit, that's if they didn't like the sound of the original drum kit, for example. You know, but processes like this can increase the sonic potential of self-made records, which can then compete in this competitive marketplace.
Speaker 1:What about the mixing side of it? I hear a lot of people that say, right, I've got this to this particular standard, but you know, the mixing is not quite there. I think it's very important to actually understand what one means by the mixing process. So, for example, if we were to go back to episode 30, where I interview James Orwater on his mixing process. I asked him, you know, I said, look, there's a big difference right between you doing, you know, kind of surgical EQ and not really changing the fundamental values of a song over. Maybe someone sending you stems and then you completely cleaning everything up, restructuring everything, building in new areas of the arrangement. You know, building an expectation of what a mix engineer does and does not do is very, very important. It needs to be communicated. Well, so many music creators are becoming much more comfortable with the process of recording and arranging their music projects, but that process of mixing a song can sometimes feel like a step beyond their comfort zone or skill set. Now, this is where outsourcing mixing processes to a professional can be very useful. It can make a big difference to the overall quality of a recording and subsequently its chances in where it then goes to Stage.
Speaker 1:After that, which is often overlooked, is the mastering process. Now, audio mastering is the final step in the production process before a recording is released or made available commercially. So it involves a signal chain process that includes such things as compression and limiting, equalization, saturation, stereo imaging, volume and loudness control, and it's a pretty crucial step for a song to sound as professional as possible's say so. Loudness control is especially relevant for streaming, so if a song is too loud, for instance, then streaming platforms will just turn it down when they optimize the song file for their particular platform and their listeners. Now, most streaming platforms have in fact, I think all of them now have quite different levels of, or different thresholds for, loudness, so there is no, no kind of standardized set level to adhere to. Therefore, mastering a song's loudness is a really crucial step when releasing music through digital service platforms. Mastering is achieved by software or by hardware, and it's becoming a lot more achievable and affordable to do. Master engineers can be hired for reasonable rates through various online platforms. If it's a step too far for you right now, but otherwise there are some good options that can be bought or rented so that you can play around with it yourself and understand that process.
Speaker 1:Okay, final thing to talk about here, and it is around stem flexibility and delivery, and it relates to everything that I've just said in the last sort of 20 minutes or so. So it's a good idea to be always organised about your stem files of a recording project and have each track on a balanced setting and exported without any kind of mix bus processing. Just to clarify a stem relates to an individual part in a recording. So let's say, for example, that's a band, it might be that there's, say, eight layers of guitars, that's eight different stems, or it might be that they're grouped into one guitar group stem. Then you've got the drums, you've got the bass, the vocals, etc. All separate. All those separate files are the stems. Now the process that I've just mentioned. It allows for projects to be revisited without the need for the original DAW recording project. So I'm talking about, let's say, for example, it's a Logic project, then export the stems out of that project and that then means it can be accessed and put into any future project. So this is useful for when edits are needed for like sync projects or alternative mixes for promotional material or potential remixes.
Speaker 1:I also mentioned earlier about the idea of maybe recording a project with one producer and then taking those stems to a different producer. That's a very cost-effective way of doing things because instead of having to re-record that raw audio, you can take the existing audio that you've done somewhere and have it reimagined by a different producer. Believe me, I've seen hit records created as a result of doing just that. So it's very important to be able to have control and flexibility over those stems. Important to be able to have control and flexibility over those stems. It also means that you don't always have to keep going back and forth when dealing with the producer and as and when edits or revisions or remixes are required. So having those stems readily available is important because it makes for a speedy delivery to, let's say, for example, a record company, if you sell the production rights after gaining a cut with an artist, if you're a songwriter. But there are lots of other reasons. There are lots and lots and lots of reasons to be able to keep control of those stems and to be able to have a clearance in place with that producer so that the potential of what you've done doesn't just stop when you leave that studio, but so that it can be revisited and re-looked at in the future.
Speaker 1:Okay, so there you have it, a bit of a kind of overview on how song presentation and expected standards sits with what we then do with our music and where we want it to go and how we approach people and what the technical sides of things should look like on a kind of more standardized level. I hope that's been useful. Feel free to reach out to me anytime. Rate that podcast. Do spread the word, talk about this to people. I'm here to help people and I'm here to hear from you. If you've anything to say to me, if you've got a subject that wants covering, or whatever, reach out to me. I'll put it on the podcast or I'll come back to you and I'll help you. I'm here to help. Okay, thank you for being here. I appreciate it. I'll see you next time. Have a great day and may the force be with you.
