Last Friday night was our first annual Tate Music Group Artist of the Year contest...
After hundreds of artists submissions, thousands of votes, and months of preparation, it came down to our top five finalists playing and singing their hearts out in front of a live audience and a panel of judges. Sally Jayne, The Cliftones, Ron Walters and Sarah Scharff all gave a stellar performance, but there could only be one winner. This year, that winner was singer/songwriter Jeff Chandler. Just one more way that Tate Music Group is providing artists with opportunities to use their giftings.
All of our Tate Music Group producers were privileged to back Jeff Chander and Ron Walters on drums, bass, and guitars... and I was honored to play electric for Sarah Scharff. It was a great evening, and the best part was watching all of our artists come together and really get to know one another!
Our congratulations go to Jeff Chandler and are excited to see his career take off! All 5 artists received some serious exposure to some top executives in the music industry, and we are incredibly proud of each and every one of them!
You can replay the event here!
Grow where you're planted...
Things are busy as ever here in the Tate Music Group studios!
In the last few weeks, we've had rap artists T.O.C. from California, Uptown Boy Jerome from Alabama, Freddy Green from Denver, Oklahoma City's own Kip Valdez in doing some acoustic guitar and vocal tracks, country artist RL Stephens, Christian artist Rickey Wright from Alabama, and all the way from Honolulu, Hawaii, female duo Nightbloom recorded their tracks in our studios.
In addition to all the artists in the studio, we held our first annual Tate Music Group Artist of the Year contest with a live show in downtown Oklahoma City. So March has been a busy one so far!
Currently we're working with worship leader, Mike Lawson, and orchestral pop artist Justin Moore. It's always amazing to listen in to the different sessions we have going on at one time here at TMG. Especially the odd combos... rap in one of our booths while we've got country in another.
The best part of this job is definitely meeting each of our artists face to face. Our department is unique in that we are one of the few departments at Tate Music Group that get to experience that face to face relationship with each of our artists while they are out recording in our facilities. Each artist has a different story of how they got where they are now, and each has a different vision for where they would like to take this relationship with Tate Music Group and their career.
The one thing I do hear a lot though is artists that are just ready to 'make it big'. I've mentioned this in a previous blog, but it is something that continually comes up with artists as they come through our studio doors.
One of our producers here at Tate Music Group, Jeff Lee, is also the guitarist for Christian artist, Jami Smith (www.jamismith.com). While on the road with Jami, Jeff's witnessed his fair share of people that come up to Jami after the show asking her how they can become as 'big as' Jami. "God has called me to this, how do I become as big as you Jami?"
Her usual response is that she'll ask what they are currently doing. A lot of them are young worship leaders, leading worship for 20 kids in Smalltown, America.
What she tries to explain to them is they are already doing what God has called them to do! Their calling may be to touch the lives of 20 kids in Smalltown for a few more months, a few more years, or the rest of their life... That could be the calling God has placed on their life.
God may have called you to do this... he brought Tate Music Group in your path, and for that, we are definitely excited to partner with you in the process. We cannot guarantee that you will be as big as the Jami Smith's of the world. We cannot guarantee to you that signing with TMG will make you an overnight success, or that our partnership will throw you into a worldwide, sellout arena tour. However, we will guarantee that we will work extremely hard along side of you every step of the way, and will strive for excellence and success in everything we do!
When I was 16 and leading worship for our youth in Western Oklahoma, my youth pastor used to ask me what I wanted to do with my life. I would reply by telling him my vision for playing stadium shows, leading worship for thousands. Would even tell him at times how frustrating it is to lead worship for 25 youth that act like they could care less. But he'd always tell me to stay the course and to 'grow where you're planted' and just wait for God to move.
So, to my Tate Music Group artists, blog subscribers, and other random people that found this blog today: GROW WHERE YOU'RE PLANTED! So often we try to do things on our own accord, all by ourselves. Nobody has ever been successful on their own. You need a team to be successful!
I'll leave you with an excellent quote by the founder of Tate Publishing and Enterprises, Dr. Richard Tate.
"Sometimes you have to do what you have to do in order to get to do what you were meant to do..."
In the last few weeks, we've had rap artists T.O.C. from California, Uptown Boy Jerome from Alabama, Freddy Green from Denver, Oklahoma City's own Kip Valdez in doing some acoustic guitar and vocal tracks, country artist RL Stephens, Christian artist Rickey Wright from Alabama, and all the way from Honolulu, Hawaii, female duo Nightbloom recorded their tracks in our studios.
In addition to all the artists in the studio, we held our first annual Tate Music Group Artist of the Year contest with a live show in downtown Oklahoma City. So March has been a busy one so far!
Currently we're working with worship leader, Mike Lawson, and orchestral pop artist Justin Moore. It's always amazing to listen in to the different sessions we have going on at one time here at TMG. Especially the odd combos... rap in one of our booths while we've got country in another.
The best part of this job is definitely meeting each of our artists face to face. Our department is unique in that we are one of the few departments at Tate Music Group that get to experience that face to face relationship with each of our artists while they are out recording in our facilities. Each artist has a different story of how they got where they are now, and each has a different vision for where they would like to take this relationship with Tate Music Group and their career.
The one thing I do hear a lot though is artists that are just ready to 'make it big'. I've mentioned this in a previous blog, but it is something that continually comes up with artists as they come through our studio doors.
One of our producers here at Tate Music Group, Jeff Lee, is also the guitarist for Christian artist, Jami Smith (www.jamismith.com). While on the road with Jami, Jeff's witnessed his fair share of people that come up to Jami after the show asking her how they can become as 'big as' Jami. "God has called me to this, how do I become as big as you Jami?"
Her usual response is that she'll ask what they are currently doing. A lot of them are young worship leaders, leading worship for 20 kids in Smalltown, America.
What she tries to explain to them is they are already doing what God has called them to do! Their calling may be to touch the lives of 20 kids in Smalltown for a few more months, a few more years, or the rest of their life... That could be the calling God has placed on their life.
God may have called you to do this... he brought Tate Music Group in your path, and for that, we are definitely excited to partner with you in the process. We cannot guarantee that you will be as big as the Jami Smith's of the world. We cannot guarantee to you that signing with TMG will make you an overnight success, or that our partnership will throw you into a worldwide, sellout arena tour. However, we will guarantee that we will work extremely hard along side of you every step of the way, and will strive for excellence and success in everything we do!
When I was 16 and leading worship for our youth in Western Oklahoma, my youth pastor used to ask me what I wanted to do with my life. I would reply by telling him my vision for playing stadium shows, leading worship for thousands. Would even tell him at times how frustrating it is to lead worship for 25 youth that act like they could care less. But he'd always tell me to stay the course and to 'grow where you're planted' and just wait for God to move.
So, to my Tate Music Group artists, blog subscribers, and other random people that found this blog today: GROW WHERE YOU'RE PLANTED! So often we try to do things on our own accord, all by ourselves. Nobody has ever been successful on their own. You need a team to be successful!
I'll leave you with an excellent quote by the founder of Tate Publishing and Enterprises, Dr. Richard Tate.
"Sometimes you have to do what you have to do in order to get to do what you were meant to do..."
"We repaint..."
A few weeks ago, I blogged about the Grammy's...Not sure how many tuned in to the 60 Minutes episode prior to the Grammy's, but they featured UK band Coldplay during the last 15 minutes of the show.
"In the midst of a deep recession, in a music industry fighting for survival, the group's fourth straight multi-platinum album "Viva La Vida" has sold an astounding seven million copies and snagged seven Grammy Award nominations, including best album, best song and best record. Its current world tour is virtually sold out, as 60 Minutes found out when we followed them from Orlando and Chicago to London and Belfast."
During the interview, front man Chris Martin was showing 60 Minutes around their private studio area where they write, practice, record and spend a great deal of time. The live room, filled with instruments and gear, is also noticeably tattooed with handwritten notes. Each note is an idea from band members about each particular song on the album they are currently working on. The piano has markings, the walls have markings... everything has a mark.According to the interview, Chris Martin is a compulsive worrier and list-maker. He sends himself electronic messages, and scrawls notes on scraps of paper, on his hands, and anything else that's available, lest he forget some brilliant idea.
"... this is just the beginning, so, in six months, this will all be covered, I think," Martin explained.
"Then you have to repaint the piano?" 60 Minutes asked.
"Yeah. So when we finish something, we repaint, you know?" Martin said.
To me, this was pretty genious... its as easy as that. Writing notes on the walls, on the piano... making that space their own... surrounding themselves with ideas and inspiration, and once its recorded, they simply 'repaint'.
As artists, its easy to hang on to that inspiration... if it ain't broke, why paint over it? Right?
But in order to keep that freshness, and continue making creative strides, they just paint over the old and prepare to create new notes on the walls.
The other neat thing about the interview, was that Chris Martin let 60 Minutes in on their "rules" that are hanging on the wall of their studio. There are more than 10, but the camera only zoomed in on 10 of them. I just kept thinking of how great of an idea this was for any band... I know that when I was a Graphic Designer at Tate Publishing, designing book covers and doing book layouts, there were specific house rules that we had to abide by in order to create a high quality product!The same applies to being a musician... setting guidelines to follow.
Of course for Coldplay, their rules set guidelines for not only music, but recording as well as image and business.
Start establishing some guidelines to follow as a musician and as a professional!
I'll reprint their rules below for reference!
1. Albums must be no longer than 42 minutes, or 9 tracks
2. Production must be amazing, rich, but with space, not over layered, less tracks, more quality. Groove and swing Drums/rhythm are the most crucial thing to concentrate on; difference between bittersweet and science of silence.
3. Computers are instruments, not recording aids.
4. Imagery must be classical, coulourful, and different. Come back in glorious technicolor.
5. Make sure videos and pictures are great before setting release date. And highly original.
6. Always keep mystery. Not many interviews.
7. Groove and swing. rhythms and sounds must always be original as possible. Once Jon has melody, twist it and weird it.
8. Promo/review copies to be on Vinyl. Stops copying problem, sounds and looks better.
9. Jaqueline sabriado, ns p c c, face forward
10. Think about what to do with charity account. Set up something small but really enabling and constructive. Ref; j oliver fifteen.
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Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
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