tate music group studios

Variance Magazine!

2010-05-18T08:10:00.002-05:00

Hello All!

Hope everyone is doing great and your week is off to a great start! I just wanted to drop by and let everyone know about a brand new music magazine that we are publishing called Variance Magazine. The site is up right now and you can get a free email subscription. Go and get signed up today to www.variancemagazine.com and get signed up today!

TMG iPad Giveaway!

2010-05-10T09:32:00.002-05:00

Hello blogword! It has been a few weeks since I have last updated and their are lots of cool things going on at Tate Music Group. But I wanted to tell you about something that is going on RIGHT NOW!

During the month of May TMG is giving away an iPad. Yes, I said iPad. Now I finally got a chance to get my hands on one of these bad boys this weekend at the mall and I was pretty impressed.

TMG has a twitter account, twitter.com/TMGofficial, and you have to be a follower of TMG to get a chance to win the iPad. So if you are on twitter, it would be crazy NOT to follow us for a chance to win an iPad. So jump on there! More updates to come soon!

Voices of Glory

2010-03-24T13:19:00.003-05:00

The last few days have been very exciting here in the TMG studios. We had the pleasure of having the gospel trio "The Voices of Glory" in to record their debut album with us. The Voices of Glory were on the popular tv show "America's Got Talent" and actually placed 5 in the competition. The "Voices" are comprised of two brothers Michael and Avery, and one sister Nadia. They are an extremely talented group with huge hearts for spreading the gospel through music. It was such an honor for me to work with them and be a part of something so cool. I will definitely keep you posted on the final album and definitely put some sneak peak tracks very soon!

starbucks with a side of humility

2010-02-26T08:56:00.002-06:00

These last few days have been so crazy and excited all at the same time. Tonight is the Tate Music Group Artist of the Year competition and I have been lucky enough to play in the house band again with some great artists and great musicians.

One of the artists who made it to the top 3 finalists is Chuck Tocco. I had the honor of being able to work with Chuck in January as his producer/engineer/studio musician. Chuck is a super talented guy with a great heart. Not only is he a great guy, but the dude has a SOLID record if I do say so myself.

One of the reasons I liked working with Chuck so much was just his humility. It also didn't hurt that he brought in Starbucks every morning for all of the producers. Chuck definitely had a clear cut idea and direction that he wanted his music to go on. But Chuck also knew that he couldn't get there on his own, and he needed a producer/engineer/studio musician to help him get there. He was always more that willing to listen to thoughts that I had on how we could take a song to the next level or how we could make it better. His humility also made it even easier for me to hear him out on ideas that I might not have feel in love with the first time.

I really believe that because BOTH of us were willing to set aside any pride we might have had, we came out with a great record. For some, this may seem very obvious, but I don't think it is for everyone. I think we could all afford to remember how far a little humility and understanding goes. It went pretty far for Chuck, he will be performing tonight to be our Artist of the Year, when a good chunk of change, and a chance for his LIFE to be changed.

Regardless of whether Chuck wins tonight, or Darin Rex, or Jupiter Wind, all of those guys are there because they were willing to listen and willing to try something that stretched them to a place where they never they could be. It should be a pretty exciting night, can't wait to get out there!

iPad

2010-01-31T13:41:00.002-06:00

Over the last few years Apple has been on the cutting edge of technology and has revolutionized how we interact and consume things on an everyday basis. Since the invention of the very first iPod and the iTunes marketplace the music industry has not been the same. The iPad plans to continue to change the way we consume music.

A lot of audiophiles have long complained that the iPod has ruined music because people rarely buy an album any more but rather buy singles. One of the features that the iPad offers is being able to thumb through things like Album Artwork, Liner notes, and Lyrics, much like LP's of the past. This is an effort on Apple's part to bring the album back into music.

Whether you are a fan of the iPad or not, it does promise one thing...the music industry has yet another major avenue to consume music. And one of the great parts of being a part of Tate Music Group is the online distribution we have to offer. Being a part of the Tate family allows you to get your music out there in ways you couldn't do on your own, and one of those avenues is iTunes. Having your music on iTunes allows you to be a part of one of the biggest marketplaces for consuming music.

Whether you are a part of our family or considering us, we encourage you to go out and find a new way to find new music...go buy a cd, buy a record, download an album....but discovering new music, is definitely a part of growing as a musician.

TMG Artist Receiving National TV Exposure

2009-12-17T14:08:00.000-06:00

Tate Music Group Now offers a brand new service to all TMG artists. We are now creating and producing Viral Commercials that will help promote the artist, album and single.

Viral videos in themselves can be used in a number of ways to promote an artists music, from being uploaded to theirMySpace page, to being played before a performance, and even going straight to YouTube and other video sites. Tate Music Groups team of Multimedia Producers will build the Viral Commercial around the artist’s music, using their photos and album artwork to capture potential consumers and build excitement and visibility for the music.

Not only do we hand over the video to our artist in order for them to use as they see fit but Tate Music Group also guarantees National and Regional TV exposure on major music TV networks (MTV, MTV2, VH1, CMT, BET, FUSE...). TMG is running national and regional commercial spots based around album release dates, events or for a blanket periods of time.

This is a huge game change as it allows TMG to guarantee National TV exposure to any artist who wants to take advantage of this option.

Happy TMG Artists

2009-12-10T09:52:00.001-06:00

One of our TMG Artists recently sent this email to our Director of TMG Acquisitions, Brianne Webb. Love getting emails like these!

Dear Brianne,

Hello, I hope all is well with you and yours. I just wanted to drop a few lines of sincere gratitude to you and TMG. I wouldn't in a million years imagined all that has transpired this year in my life being yoked up with you all. You don't know how happy I am that I didn't sit on the music that I wrote and let it go stagnant, I'm truly blessed to have you and TMG consider me and my music and for you to see and hear something in that submission.

I know I've asked and continue to ask many questions; I don't mean to be a pest-lol, I'm just new at this and ya'll know that. But never the less, you and all that I have dealt with at TMG have been friendly and nothing less than A-1 professional. I don't know who made the decisions to assign me with the folks I've been assigned with during the process so far but it has seemed like the vision from the artwork with Cole Roberts to the music production with Jameson Reynolds had been pulled right from my mind and straight into theirs without incident. I really enjoyed my studio time with Jameson-he's a really cool guy and I believe he can read minds because I'd describe what I heard or envisioned and bam, it was done!

I'm working with Chris Rutherford right now and he's great. Things are going pretty good so far. A couple of Georgia radio stations have picked me up and CDs are selling. I've been asked if I would be interested in doing a radio interview the first of the year, so I'm excited about that too.

Well I guess I'll go for now, again I can't say it enough ....Thank You!!!

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year!
-Adam Howell

Check out Adam's music here.

TMG Radio Airplay

2009-11-04T13:30:00.005-06:00

Hope you guys are having a fantastic Wednesday!

The recent success at Tate Music Group, with a few of our artists like Jeff Chandler and his top 10 single "I Know You're There" and the number one hits that Regie Hamm has had over the course of the last few years, has sparked more and more questions on how "I", the artist, get more radio airplay.

Here's a little insight from our radio research consultant, Brandon Rahbar, about how it's all about that "hook" to catch the attention of, not only the radio researchers out there, but the potential audience that will be listening to this song. Absolutely subscribe to his blog to read all the little tips from the inside of the radio research side of your project. And, maybe you're not a TMG artist but you want to know how to succeed like so many of the Tate Music Group artists, selling product and getting radio airplay AND doing it successfully... give us a call at 888-361-9473! We'd love to explain how and why our artists are as successful as they are.

Here's Brandon's blog on the "hook":

"One of the main questions and comments I'm getting from TMG artists is about my listening to their music and hoping that something in it hooks me.

Well, after listening to new TMG releases for the past couple of months, I've heard a lot of very good artists. I've heard artists with a bunch of potential. I've made recommendations for certain songs that should be pushed to radio. And I've advised some artists on which songs I feel are their strongest and maybe some things they can work on. It's a fun process. I love listening to your work and helping in any way I can. Picking the hits, that's always been one of my favorite things to do.

Anyways, in the midst of listening to many TMG artists, I found an artist that was absolutely dynamite. Thirty seconds into the first song, he had my attention. I was hooked. I listened to his next song, same thing. After the third song, I knew this guy had the goods. I advised TMG that this artist was big-time and that I'd like to do something more with him. He's a top shelf talent and I want to do more to help.

I just wanted to blog about this to show you guys that I'm taking this stuff seriously. If I run across something that I just think is absolutely dynamite and it blows my socks off, I'm gonna alert TMG to it and let them know that we have something special in the works. Could that be you? We'll see... I'll be listening!"

TMG Artists, "The Westbrook Singers" featured in QC Magazine!

2009-11-02T09:10:00.005-06:00

Tate Music Group recording artists, The Westbrook Singers, were featured in the winter edition of QC Magazine. We are proud of the work the "singers" are doing! To purchase their upcoming release, please visit their page on our Tate Publishing bookstore here! Here's the article from QC:

"Some say the Westbrook Singers got their start in 1960 in a tiny neighborhood church in East Moline when Charles and Barbara Westbrook, parents of 11 children, founded the Community Outreach Church of God in Christ. It was then that Barbara start- ed the choir with just her kids, providing the perfect opportunity for their five girls and six boys to develop their musical talents.

Others say the Westbrook Singers got their start in 1975, the year Charles and Barbara’s son, Kenneth, was shot by a key- board player in Minneapolis. While it is true that being in the children’s church choir provided the Westbrooks with valuable training and experience, their love for Kenneth was the impetus to take their talent to the next level.

“In 1975, our brother, Kenneth, was a member of a band in Minneapolis,” said Gary Westbrook. “When we heard the news (of the shooting), we immediately brought him home to recover.”

The siblings rallied around their brother, knowing how much he missed his music. “We needed to find an avenue for Kenneth to express his love for music,” said brother-in-law Raymond Bryson. With musical talent brimming in the family, forming a group and calling it the Westbrook Singers was the obvious solution.

The group has changed over the years since their fateful beginning. While all 11 siblings originally performed in the band, only four now actively remain—Gary Westbrook, Brenda Joyce (Westbrook) Lee, Delores (Westbrook) Tingel and Cynthia (Westbrook) Bryson.

The four have traveled the country, performing on the Bobby Jones Gospel Show and sharing the stage with gospel greats such as Andrae Crouch, recipient of the Dove Award; the Winans, pio- neers in the field of contemporary gospel music; and the Williams Brothers, gospel singers with the greatest longevity of all time.

A STYLE ALL THEIR OWN

“The Westbrook Singers have their own authentic sound,” says Bryson. “It’s Gospel Jazz that is both contemporary and tra- ditional.” To grasp and appreciate the Westbrook Singers’ music, it’s best to experience it firsthand.

Bob Marovich of the Black Gospel Blog (www.theblackgospelblog.com) notes, “The effortlessness with which the Westbrook Singers interact is something only singers who grow up singing with one another in the family living room can develop.”

The group’s soprano, Delores (Westbrook) Tingel, is often the voice fea- tured throughout much of their music. Praising her, the Black Gospel Blog comments, “Delores hits notes so far over the ledger line that a music transcriber would have a difficult time writing them on paper.”

The Westbrook Singers write much of their own music. An aspect unique to their music is the art of weaving lyrics from old, well-known hymns into their modern arrangements.

While the make-up of the group has varied over the years, their focus has not. Music is their ministry as they attempt to “fill a spiritual void amid the turmoil and confusion of the world today while stressing family unity.” The Westbrook Singers are excited about their future. They have recently signed a recording contract with Tate Music Company in Mustang, Okla. The company will repackage and market the Westbrook Singers’ CD, and make it available nationwide in retail chains such as Best Buy. Musical talent runs deep in the family, as evidenced by the upcoming generation of Westbrooks. “We have some very talented grandkids,” said Bryson. “However, the music of their generation will be very different from ours—it’s more of a praise and worship style of gospel.”

THE WESTBROOK FAMILY

The patriarch, Bishop Charles B. Westbrook and his wife of 69 years, Barbara, are 92 and 84 years old respectively. Barbara is still an inspi- rational singer and is proud that her children are using their talent to glorify God.

The siblings, ranging from oldest to youngest, are Rochelle, Charles Jr., La June, Brenda Joyce, Kenneth, Dennis, Larry, Delores, Gary, Joseph and Cynthia. The family spans five generations, with 50 grandchil- dren, 56 great-grandchildren and two great- great grandchildren. Ministry runs deep in the Westbrook fami- ly, which has a total of seven pastors among them. The family also has a voice in city gov- ernment—Gary Westbrook serves as alder- man for the 7th Ward of East Moline. Charles and Barbara instilled in their chil- dren a strong work ethic and the family shares a long history with one Quad City employer, John Deere Harvester in East Moline.

“Dad worked for Deere for 33 years before retiring,” Larry said, though he was quickly corrected by Gary who quipped, “You mean 33 years, nine months and nine days. That’s what Dad always said!”

In addition to Charles Sr., 10 of the 11 Westbrook siblings have worked for John Deere Harvester at one time or another. Three have retired and two are still employed by of John Deere.

The Westbrooks’ dedication to John Deere has not gone unnoticed by the manufacturing giant. The family was recently featured in the John Deere Journal for their dedication and service to the company. “Collectively, we’ve given over 200 years of service to the compa- ny,” said Gary with a grin.

The siblings credit their parents for instill- ing a strong family bond amongst them. “All the credit goes to our parents,” said Larry Westbrook, current Minister of Community Outreach Church of God in Christ. “And we’ve taken the value of their teaching and are pass- ing it along to our children.”

TMG Producers... LIVE!

2009-10-15T16:37:00.005-05:00

Catch myself and TMG Producer, Joshua Dougan, live at an event in Tulsa, Oklahoma at 7PM tomorrow night.

You can watch the live stream here.

Definitely something you won't want to miss!

CMSpin.com press release on TMG Artist, Jupiter Wind...

2009-10-13T13:29:00.002-05:00

From CMSpin.com: http://www.cmspin.com/newsmanager/anmviewer.asp?a=5691&z=26

"On the heels of launching in early 2009 with their debut single, Everyday, which enjoyed major national connectivity with Christian radio, the talented guys of rock band, JUPITER WIND, are saddling fresh horses this fall with the announcement of several major career advances.

The band has signed with the Tate Label Group for release of their first album in 2010. They are currently in studio putting finishing touches on the new music with a radio single in the works for January.

In announcing the signing, Brianne Webb, Director of Artist Acquisitions for TMG, noted: “Jupiter Wind combines their original sound, well-crafted music, and industry experience with their intense passion to reach youth with a relevant message for God. Tate Music Group is honored to partner with them in getting their music to the mass audiences at radio and retail.”

Grammy Award winning producer, Dale Oliver, has also signed on to manage Jupiter Wind through his own management firm, OTM Production. Oliver, whose production efforts have helped raise Casting Crowns to multi-platinum levels, has been instrumental in the initial studio launch of Jupiter Wind. He will now oversee career direction as well as production of new music.

Immediate on the band’s promotional docket is their inclusion in a special promotion this month with Interl’inc. Through the Interl’inc mailing, a targeted market to more than 7,500 youth pastors will be invited to catch the vision of Jupiter Wind’s music and ministry."

TMG sponsors renowned Billboard World Song Contest...

2009-10-07T13:21:00.001-05:00

MUSTANG, OK – This week, Oklahoma-based record label Tate Music Group (TMG) has confirmed a new strategic sponsor partnership with the renowned Billboard World Song Contest.

As a sponsor for the contest, TMG will select one Grand Prize Winner to be awarded a TMG new artist development contract that includes recording a full album, event booking, and radio and web promotion. The agreement also expands the competition terms to include prizes for the top 36 entries in the contest, based on submissions from artists worldwide.

The Billboard World Song Contest was the first competition of its kind, and has made great strides in exposing first-time, unknown artists to the world through the Billboard World Song Contest Winners’ CD sent to music executives, producers, publishers, agents, promoters, and other music industry moguls.

Tate Music Group President Ryan Tate anticipates adding fresh new talent to their label, including their recent contract with American Idol songwriting contest winner Regie Hamm, who penned the number-one song, “The Time of My Life.”

“We are excited to announce this partnership and hope we can continue working hand-in-hand with Billboard World Song Contestto bring exposure to unknown talent across the world,” Tate said.

With this agreement, TMG joins Billboard World Song Contest partners CASIO, D’Addario Strings, TAXI-The Independent A& R Vehicle, Indie Band Manager, Discmakers, CD Baby, Blublocker Sunglasses, GoGirlsMusic.com, The Halsey Institute, and Sonicbids.com.

For more information, please visit www.tatemusicgroup.com

Billboard World Song Contest

TMG Artist, Nisha, recognized in national magazine and talks shop on TMG!

2009-10-01T16:00:00.005-05:00

Tate Music Group Recording Artist, Nisha, has been featured in "Music Connection", a nationally recognized magazine publication. In the article, Nisha talks about her recent signing with Tate Music Group, and explains how great of a deal it truly is!

For best viewing, check out the digital "Music Connection" magazine article here. The article is located on page 26.

“Like any dedicated artist, sexy R&B singer Nisha Hester focused her energy on recording a masterpiece rather than seeking the perfect label. In her corner, however, was former manager, Eric Stancil, who took the time to research her options and mail press kits to potential takers. A likely prospect was...TMG Records.
Although TMG needs to hear at least 3 songs in order to choose an artist, one song in particular got the attention of their signing rep. “Where Did The Love Songs Go” had such an impact that she even included a special introduction in the contract that mentioned the impression-making track as the reason TMG wished to sign her.
‘There are several things I love about TMG,’ explains the rising diva. ‘I like the support and freedom they give to their artists. They allow their artists to maintain all the ownership - as far as songwriting royalties go, we own everything.’ Plus, she adds, ‘They give the highest royalty payments of all the labels out there.’ Also, Hester felt the weren’t hiding an agenda. “We have the freedom to cancel anytime we’re not happy. We can work with other third-party companies,’ she marvels. ‘We have so much freedom!’
There had been another label under consideration, but they asked for a significant chunk of money up front. Weighing the two options, it was clear which company offered the better deal. In fact, TMG’s deal was so generous that she signed without any negotiations.
‘It was almost too good to be true,’ she says. ‘I really didn’t have to think too much about it.’ The agreement itself goes a year and includes an option to renew. Hester recommends other artists to find the label of their dreams; she insists on persistence and never compromising. ‘This is your life – don’t just sign up to the first thing that comes your way.’ She states. ‘And never give up.’
Nisha’s debut, The Metamorphosis, was released in September.

- Andy Kaufmann
Music Connection Magazine”

Exporting tracks for mixing and mastering...

2009-10-01T14:21:00.002-05:00

As a mixing engineer, I get a lot of questions in regards to how to properly send files for mixing. While I do get a lot of files that were done properly and exported ready to mix, I get a ton of files that were incorrectly exported and just simply won't work for mixing.

I threw together a quick screenshot video for you to check out, in hopes that it gives you a visual on how to properly export your tracks.

We're using Logic Pro, so the platform you're using may be different, however, the idea is the same. Essentially, when you have properly exported tracks for mixing, they should all be the SAME length, time, and most often than not, same file size. For example, a song that is 3:30 seconds long will have however many individual tracks, all 3 minutes and 30 seconds long. In the same vein, each track will most likely end up the same file size (example, there are 13 total tracks, and all are 42.2MB each).

If there are 13 tracks, track 1 is 759KB, 2 is 42.2MB, 3 is 1.2MB and so on, these files will not work for mixing.

Hope this helps!

Brooke Fraser's Songwriting Blog #2

2009-09-28T08:12:00.002-05:00

Good morning everybody! Brooke Fraser's 2nd blog on songwriting is up and wanted to share it with all the readers of this blog. If you are a musician/songwriter, her blogs are sure to give you some inspiration or help to steer you in the right direction on writing! And please check out her site and music.

PROCESS – Part I
This blog will be about the actual writing process, with all its peaks and valleys, frustration and elation. I’ll cover inspiration, beginning a song and crafting a song .

I originally had elements such as melody and lyric as part of the ‘craft’ section of this blog, but in getting to it discovered there was so much I wanted to cover that I realised they were asking for their own blog (I plan to post that one within a day of this, so you won’t have to wait another six weeks!).

The creative process differs hugely from person to person, and even varies from work to work, piece to piece. I am not theorising about everyone else’s process, I’m simply trying to unpack my own for the amusement of any who may be interested. Happy reading (hope you’re in a comfy chair!)…

1. INSPIRATION– “Spark / Seeing”
Bloody inspiration. I think it’s every lazy journalist’s default fallback question. “Where does your inspiration come from?”. Stepping back a bit though, I think the question used to irritate me so much because I really didn’t understand what they were asking, let alone how to answer it. For most of my songwriting life, I’d always just “feel” when a song was churning around in my belly and I’d go to an instrument and it would come. Or I’d be at an instrument mucking around, then a song would turtlehead and I would get to work chipping and carving and coercing and bribing it out. But which aspect of that was “inspiration” and how it had come to me – I find that impossible to pin down and I certainly don’t think it’s necessarily anything I did in that moment to have it come. If we speak of inspiration as the spark that lights the fire, I suppose much of what we do as songwriters or artists is like banging stones together – preparing, being aware of our internal ‘climate’ (see previous blog), reading, writing, scribbling, sitting at an instrument and playing and fiddling and noodling – and hoping furiously that if we bang our stones together for long enough, a spark will eventually come.

I’ve always identified with the Michelangelo quote: “I saw the angel in the marble and I carved until I set him free.”

As it relates to songwriting, the “seeing” is the inspiration (the churning in the belly, the spark, the thing that fires you up so much that you cannot keep it in) and the “carving” is the craft, the tools with which we set our “song” free.

2. BEGINNING
Finishing a song can sometimes feel like an insurmountable task, but beginning can often be just as daunting, sitting around waiting for a spark. Here are some ideas that might help you get off the blocks:

Beginning with Harmony (Chords)
The most common way for a song to begin for me is actually by finding some kind of harmonic bed (chord progression) which feels good to me… I will play around with capo positions if I’m on the guitar (for some reason I have a penchant for frets 3 and 5), different voicings, emphases and sometimes tuning (but I’m no guitar maestro so much of the time I don’t really know what I’m doing, which can often be helpful believe it or not). Often a melody will come to me when I find a chord grouping that resonates with me. “The Thief”, “Hymn”, “C.S. Lewis Song” are examples of this. I find the chords often can indicate to you where the melody should/could go, too… but I’ll expand on this in the next blog specifically dealing with elements of song.

Beginning with Melody
Sometimes a melody will come to you and lead off an idea. Some little line pops into your head in the car or in the grocery store or the shower, and with a little encouragement and context (chords) you can find a flow and follow it. Deciphering Me and Love is Waiting were like this. Lots of writers I know have that little mic attachment for iPod that they record ideas with. I’m not so advanced – my recording tools are my phone and Garageband (comes pre-installed on Macs). When a melody line pops into your head – RECORD it a.s.a.p.! I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve had great melodies come to me at an inconvenient time and I’ve thought to myself “I’ll remember that later”. And I don’t. Also with garageband, make sure you press ‘save’, not ‘don’t save’ when you exit the programme. Last week I got a chorus melody to a song I’ve been working on for ages, just as I was running out the door to a meeting. I quickly put it down in Garageband, quit Garageband, shut down my laptop and ran out the door. I came back to the file later and the chorus WASN’T THERE. Devastation.

Beginning with Lyric
Carry a notebook with you. Sometimes I’ll use the ‘memo’ function on my phone to jot down a lyric idea, but I find that a bit soul-less. I’m a pen to paper, lo-fi, kinda gal. I would be mortified if anyone ever saw the contents of the various notebooks I’ve carried with me over the years. They are filled with all kinds of notions, thoughts, phrases, quotes and crazy stream-of-consciousness weird stuff… but some of that stuff will spark a song later on, so I write it all anyway.

Beginning with Rhythm
One of the reasons I started playing the guitar at 15 (late starter) was because I was sick of writing slow piano songs (piano is my first instrument). It’s a rare night you’ll see me play without a guitar in front of me… part of it is a muscle memory thing, part of it is just that I love rhythm – it’s how I feel part of a song. Because melody lines/sung parts often flow over staccato rhythms (and I’d get quite bored with just participating in a song like that I think) I love being able to smash my guitar and be right there in the action of the song. Rhythm has been the founding factor of songs like “Hosea’s Wife”, “Lifeline” (off WTDWD) and “Albertine”. Have a play around with different rhythms and strum patterns and see if it helps a new idea emerge. Listen to music with rhythms that are different to those you might normally start with when you’re in autopilot.

Beginning with Story
I can’t say I do this a lot, but I have friends who write the majority of their songs by using a story (true or imagined) as a frame and then musically/lyrically filling it in, using narrative or first-person. My friend Ben says that he does this because then he doesn’t have to come up with a lot of clever one liners, he can just lyrically illustrate a character (really he is a genius and he’s just being modest). A lot of artists I admire use this method and it’s not something I am naturally very good at so I will probably experiment with it some more in the future. It’s good to work on your weaknesses. If you just work from your strengths all the time, you might start to think you’re awesome, which none of us are, and your songs will sound ‘samey’ and eventually you may hit a dead end. Plus you’ll be arrogant, which is never attractive. I think part of being a good anything, whether it be a writer, a musician or a good mum, is to develop and sow into the areas we struggle with.
(NB: People who are good at this: Joni Mitchell (my hero), Bob Dylan, Brighteyes, about a million other people who aren’t me)

3. CRAFT – “Carving”
Once you’ve begun… what do you do? Here’s where the chasing, sitting and distinctly unglamorous hard work kick in.

For me personally, once I’ve begun, I set about the task of getting to know the song. It probably sounds quite odd, but nowadays I see my songs as people. Once I meet them via ‘beginning’, I must set about asking questions – trying to “see” the song in order to “carve” it out (that Michelangelo quote again).
Does the song feel like a lullaby, a dirge, an anthem, a waltz, a power-punch, a ballad? It may be sweet at the beginning, but does it have a dark twist at the end? Or does it want to stay sweet all the way? I try not to impose my preferences on the song – I don’t want to make it someone it isn’t. This part is pretty much all instinct. Listen to your gut.

Part of the reason I am averse to co-writing is because often you find yourselves in situations where you are pressured to “finish an idea” or “find the killer hook” in a day or even a few hours. This may be good for commerce but I think it does art a disservice. Songwriting for me is only satisfying when it is personal, intimate and costly. There is the mystery and then there is the labour. They go hand in hand. We’ve dealt a little with the mystery/inspiration, now here’s some thoughts on the labour aspect of things:

3.1 Getting Stuck
Frustration is virtually inevitable, but so is elation once you’ve found the path around your obstacle.
Here are a few things I do when I get stuck:

Move to another instrument
I find a change of how I see the chords, i.e. moving from guitar to piano or vice versa can help me get past an impasse. If you only play one instrument, or don’t play at all, take your idea to someone who does play another instrument and see if that helps. However, I recommend to anyone who wants to write to take the time to learn some basic chords on a piano or guitar and use them! I have a friend who can’t play to save herself, but went and learned some basic chords and plays around with different voicings and variations of them. She has gone on to become an incredible writer, and I’m so grateful that she took the time to equip herself, because I as a listener am benefitting from the fruits!

Do something else for a while
Whilst writing with my friend William Fitzsimmons recently, I twittered this: “Warning: If you ever ‘co-write’ with me, it will involve long bouts of doing nothing, lots of cups of tea and pauses to enjoy youtube. It may seem at first like we are doing nothing… but we are simply tricking the song into thinking we are not paying attention so that it will quit its shyness and come the heck out.” Maybe that’s a little bit of insight into how I work, but I find getting stressed and throttling a song by the neck has never helped me. As with passing a bowel movement (refer to first blog ‘Climate’), you just have to relax, read a magazine, pick at your cuticles, ‘ped-egg’ the dry skin on your feet, whatevs. Go fishing or something, then come back and have another crack.

Work on a different idea
I am always working on a bunch of ideas at once. If I get stuck on one, I’ll move to the next, and the next, then come back to it, then onto the next, etc.

3.2 Perseverance
Oh how underrated is this virtue in our generation! iPods, iPhones, myspace etc… it’s all about me and what I want right this minute. But nothing of value comes for free. What’s true in life is true in art… PERSEVERE.

I started writing songs at 12 years of age. I can say with confidence that all the songs I wrote between then and ‘Better’ when I was 17 were utter crap. And there were hundreds of them. If you want to feel better about yourself, go look up some of my early B-sides. Absolute shockers. BUT those absolute shockers were the stepping stones to the better, acceptable-for-public-listening songs I would go on to write. Even now I’m still utterly embarrassed by a bunch of songs from my first record, but you know what? I’m grateful for them. Every song you write helps you become a better writer and find your own voice as an artist. The evidence of my journey so far is now immortalised on CD and hard drive, and as much as my pride would like to destroy the embarrassing stuff, hopefully it’s a testimony to perseverance and time.

3.3 Hard Work
I wrote “Albertine” in a morning after my return from my first trip to Rwanda in 2005 (it’s arguable that I’d already done the groundwork for the song with my eight straight hours of journalling on the flights home). Yet “Love, Where Is Your Fire?” was written in various hotel rooms in Tokyo, L.A., London & Australasia and took me more than two years to complete. “Love is Waiting” took about the same and was completed about 30 seconds before I had to go in and sing the final vocal on the record (and we left it until last). I am still not totally happy with the lyrics even today and wish I could have given it more time. It’s not my best.

Leonard Cohen’s famous 1984 song “Hallelujah” has been covered by over 200 artists – the Jeff Buckley version being perhaps the most widely known (Rufus Wainwright’s is impeccable too). It is still being covered in studios, bars and cafes the world over today. It sounds effortless, but the story goes that Cohen penned a massive EIGHTY (yes, 80) verses before he came to the verses that became the song.

Charles Wesley, the famous hymnist, wrote 6000 hymns. Six freakin’ thousand.

No shortcuts. Give your songs the chance to be excellent. Shove that in your cultural ADD and smoke it. (No offence to people with actual ADD intended.)

CONCLUSION:
Write and write and write and write! Spend the time, listen to lots of music, read about how other people create, talk to other people about how create, work hard, have fun, enjoy the journey!

Regie Hamm's "Time of My Life" in Primetime

2009-09-23T07:38:00.002-05:00

National award-winning singer/songwriter, and Tate Music Group artist, Regie Hamm's hit song "Time of My Life" is making the rounds on primetime television!

First, of course, on the season finale of American Idol, as winner David Cook sang Regie's song to streaming confetti and to screaming fans.

However, more recently, "Time of My Life" has been featured on the season finale of "America's Got Talent", and again last night on "Dancing With the Stars".

Learn more about Regie's other #1 hits and get an idea of his heart for music by visiting his site here.

Tate Music Group, a top notch deal!

2009-09-16T14:16:00.004-05:00

Tate Music Group artist Eric Aubrey recently wrote a blog about his great experience with Tate Music Group! Eric just finished recording vocals in the TMG Studios and the album is currently being mixed and mastered...

Eric wrote on his blog: "Quite a bit has happened with my music since I last posted here. I have signed a record deal with Tate Music Group and am currently working on my album with them. The experience so far has been awesome and I cannot wait to release the album sometime in the coming couple of months!!!!!! I would definitely recommend TMG to anyone one trying to get a start in music. The deal they offer is top notch and well worth the upfront expense! So far everything they have said they will do they've done and I see no reason why that will not continue! The staff is so friendly, courteous and professional. If i seem over the top for TMG it is because I have been through so many ups and downs trying to get this album done. I've had so many broken promises and so many almosts that I was on the verge of giving up. Then I found TMG's site and I have been given new hope and a peace that everything will be as God intended it. Well I guess that will do it for now. Hopefully I'll update a little more often now that I'm moving along with music and ministry again!!!!!!!

Beyond the Darkness there is light!!!"

It's always a privilege to work with artists that have the heart and talent Eric has. I have to agree with Eric; Tate Music Group's contract and offer are second to none! The amount you'd end up spending for production, design, duplication and marketing of your project elsewhere is ludicrous compared to what you'll get with the Tate Music Group deal.

Please, feel free to call us with any questions you may have about how Tate Music Group operates and/or how to get this great deal! (888) 361-9473

Tate Music Group Studio New Location!

2009-09-14T11:58:00.006-05:00

The weekend is over, and the Tate Music Group Studios has relocated!

Below is a quick timelapse video we created of us moving out of the old location and into the new... still a lot to do, but we are operational and began our first session this morning!

Chart Topping American Idol Songwriter signs with Tate Music Group

2009-09-04T23:37:00.005-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

REGIE HAMM SIGNS BOOK AND RECORD DEAL

WITH TATE PUBLISHING AND TATE MUSIC GROUP

Plans for immediate single release to CCM radio and appearance at Kansas City’s

“Rock The Light” festival this weekend

NASHVILLE, September 2, 2009 – Hit singer/songwriter/producer Regie Hamm scored his biggest hit this year with the solo-written, 16-week No. 1 song “Time of My Life” for American Idol’s David Cook, and today he has signed a combined book and record deal with the Oklahoma-based Tate Publishing and Tate Music Group.

The announcement will be made formal with Hamm’s appearances this weekend at Kansas City’s “Rock The Light” festival. Tate Music Group plans an immediate single release to CCM radio, followed by a CD release and book detailing his inspirational story.

The book tells the story of Hamm’s adoption of an orphaned Chinese girl and the life-changing events surrounding it, including composing the hit song, “Time of My Life,” which was inspired by his emotional journey these past six years.

With 21 No. 1 songs to his credit as a songwriter, and a Top 20 Adult Contemporary hit as an artist, Hamm is well-poised for the single release to CCM radio. The single will be followed by the book, as well as a 20-song CD, tentatively called “Full Circle.” The project will include nine No. 1 songs written by Hamm, and eleven new originals. Hamm says the 20-song project is truly about his life and his journey.

“You can’t see the circle while you’re making it,” Hamm said. “Only special moments can allow you to see all of it: China… babies… songs… music… dreams… success… happiness. They all mean different things to me because of what I have been through. Any plan I could’ve developed would never have been as beautiful and unexpected. This one was divine.”

Tate Publishing, based in Oklahoma City, was founded in 2001 and has become one of the fastest growing publishing companies in the nation. They recently expanded to include record label Tate Music Group, and are distributed nationwide through Universal and Ingram.

President and CEO Ryan Tate said, “Tate Music Group is excited to partner with such a talented artist in Regie Hamm. We’re looking forward to making this venture a success for all.”

###

Contact: Bryan Norris, Key Marketing Group, 877-727-0697, bryan@keymgc.com

Ed Nash, Rutledge Nash 615.751.9977 ed@rutledgenash.com

Excellent blog on songwriting by Brooke Fraser...

2009-08-12T11:20:00.003-05:00

Recording artist, Brooke Fraser, recently wrote an excellent blog on songwriting and how she approaches it. Brooke has released 2 albums under SonyBMG (Australia & New Zealand), and is very well known for being a part of the Hillsong worship team. Check out her music on iTunes and at brookefraser.com.

For all of our Tate Music Group artists that are currently preparing the rest of the songs for your upcoming release with us, grab some tips from an outstanding writer like Brooke!

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In this blog I’ll discuss the foundation on which your songs are built. Whether you like it or not, there is one, and it’s you. Your worldview, your motives, your ‘issues’ are indelibly marked on everything you create in your life – whether it’s a song or a conversation or a Tweet. Being aware of your headspace and internal-environment goes a long way to understanding why you are or aren’t writing the type of songs you’d like to.

Over the past few years, many of you have written to me and said you would appreciate it if at some point I could share a little about songwriting. It isn’t something I’ve written about before, and as much as I enjoy blogging about everything non-music related, for some reason now feels like the right time to bring this wee series to the table. This certainly isn’t an objective study on the theme – what I write here will be subjective, personal, completely taken from my own journey as a writer. I’m in no way attempting to table a thesis here or pretend I’m some sort of expert, which I absolutely am not. So with that cleared up, on we go. ☺

You Are What You Eat

In songwriting workshops I’ve been involved in in the past, I have often said (partly to get a laugh but partly because I believe in the metaphor) that songs are like poo. Songs are like poo because:

1) You get out what you put in. Many people are naturally gifted-songwriters, but many successful songwriters are people who aren’t naturally musically gifted but have worked really hard at their craft. Read Malcolm Gladwell’s “Outliers”… it brilliantly dissects the “myths” behind success – culture and opportunity have a lot to do with it… but the truth is, people who excel at anything usually work really, really hard. The 10,000 hour rule.

2) It is a product of what you feed yourself. If you feed yourself rubbish, what you output will be rubbish. I you feed yourself nutritiously, what comes out will be healthy. It’s the same with what we feed ourselves emotionally and spiritually. (I’m not going to get all weird on you, don’t worry – this is pretty logical.) If you’re listening to music with lots of minor chords and cynical lyrics about how the world is an awful, desolate hell and where no one can be trusted, reading depressing books, watching depressing films… it isn’t unlikely that your worldview* will reflect the negativity and cynicism you’re dwelling on/putting into yourself through your eyes and ears.

*“1. the overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world. 2. A collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or group”

I’ll expand on this a little now. If you’re an artist or creative person of some kind, your artistic “digestive system” is your heart, mind and senses, your soul. So if something affects your soul, it affects your art.

Example.

Last year we introduced my music to the Americans for the first time. We toured extensively, did press/promo and achieved some exciting results. We substantially increased our touring base in the U.S. and by the end of 2008 were playing to audiences up to eight times the size of those I played to when we first did some showcases at the end of 2007. Thanks to U.S. iTunes selecting Albertine as Editor’s Choice for a week in June and putting a banner on their homepage, the Albertine record reached #5. You amazing people that came to shows sponsored swathes of precious children through World Vision and raised a ton of money for development work in Rwanda through the light-bulb t-shirt we introduced on the September tour. This was huge for us.

But behind the scenes a whole bunch of other stuff was going on and by the end of the year I was emotionally exhausted and the long period of sustained high stress had wrecked my body. I was forced to pull out of my last scheduled tour of the year and spent the month of October in bed on aggressive antibiotics. In November I took off to Africa, a place that is always challenging and healing for me. I didn’t want a bar of being Brooke Fraser. It took me a while to be able to pick up a guitar again.

Now it’s July 2009. I’ve picked up my guitar again, opened up Garageband and poised my pencil and I’m ready to be a conduit of the songs I’m trusting will come. But I’m more aware than ever of how my internal environment will affect the songs that come out of me. So to be honest, the way I’ve been writing so far is by dealing with all the “stuff” on the inside that I do not want to colour what I write and more importantly, how I live and hope and trust. Before I pick up the guitar or sit at the keyboard, I’ve been “writing” by feeding on the stuff I do want to mark my life and my art… hope, grace, forgiveness. Don’t get me wrong – I will write this next record very honestly and it won’t be all rainbows and butterflies – but I’m aware of the ‘aroma’ I want my songs to have, and it’s not one of bitterness, but one of grace. Grace doesn’t deny a wrong suffered or pretend it wasn’t that big a deal, but forgives it and loves in spite of it. I’ve received it so now I’ve gotta learn to give it, even though I’m not always the best at this and I’m still angry about some things. I am human.

Humanity and Art

“[Picasso] said this one thing I really did like, he said “good taste is the enemy of great art” which I think is very true. Good taste has all to do with being cultured and being refined and if art has to do with anything, it has to do with being human.” – Rich Mullins

Therein lies the guts of what I’ve attempted to unpack a little today. The humanity behind our art. Our struggle to navigate the world and society with all the infinite uniqueness of our personality, family background, emotional and genetic heritage, temperament, talents, mistakes, triumphs, preferences, IQ, sexuality, spirituality, language, birth order, addictions, allergies et cetera. Finding our place in the beautiful brokenness that is humanity and observing and recording what we discover along the way. I think the greatest art will always come from honest descriptions/depictions of our experience in the great in-between of being human.
Here’s to your humanity and mine, and the art it shall make.

Brooke

Future Video Tutorials and the Future Home of TMG Studios

2009-08-12T10:53:00.004-05:00

I've received a few emails and a few comments as well (thanks Rickey!), therefore, it is now in the works to get some video tutorials your way! Everything from mic'ing techniques, to editing, to recording techniques...

It is something that we've been cooking up for a while, and we'll drop that very shortly, so stay tuned!

Also, the new studio is nearly completed and in less than a month, we'll begin tracking within the walls of the newly renovated facility. Become a fan of our Tate Publishing Facebook page for pictures and updates on TMG and Tate Publishing and Enterprises.

Jeff Chandler Radio Promotion Tour...

2009-08-12T10:44:00.005-05:00

Tate Music Group's Artist of the Year, Jeff Chandler (www.myspace.com/chandler360), is currently out on his national radio promotional tour. He will also be playing spot dates along the way, so be sure to check him out and tune in to these local stations!!

Aug 3 2009

9:00A

Radio Tour KXOJ/ 100.9 FM

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Aug 3 2009

12:00P

KZKZ 106.3 FM

FT Smith, Oklahoma

Aug 3 2009

5:00P

KLRC 101.1 fm

Fayetteville, Arkansas

Aug 4 2009

9:00A

KOBC 90.7 fm

Joplin, Missouri

Aug 4 2009

12:00P

KLJC 88.5 fm

Kansas City, Missouri

Aug 5 2009

9:00A

KHZR 97.7fm and 94.1 fm

St. Louis, Missouri

Aug 5 2009

5:00P

WJIE 88.5fm

Louisville, Kentucky

Aug 6 2009

9:00A

Fish 93.7 and 94.1

Nashville, Tennessee

Aug 6 2009

5:00P

WDJC 93.7 fm

Birmingham, Alabama

Aug 7 2009

9:00A

WBSN 89.1 fm

New Orleans, Louisiana

Aug 7 2009

5:00P

WBHY

Mobile, Alabama

Aug 16 2009

8:00P

First Presbyterian Church

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Aug 22 2009

9:00A

"Walk a mile in her shoes" walk against sexual abuse/addiction

CONYERS

Aug 29 2009

7:00P

Triumph Worship Center

Mounds, Oklahoma

Aug 30 2009

10:00A

Triumph Worship Center

Mounds, Oklahoma

Here is a clip of Jeff on 100.9FM, KXOJ in Tulsa, Oklahoma!

Update from the studio!

2009-06-25T14:21:00.005-05:00

Summer is here and our studio booths are jam-packed with artists in finishing their tracks! Most are in doing vocal sessions, some laying down acoustic tracks and even playing some viola. But in May and June alone, we've worked with more artists, one-on-one on a daily basis, in the studio than average!

I know that I've mentioned this before, but it is always a great and interesting time having artists in from all over the globe. I'm amazed at the many different stories shared on a daily basis! Absolutely every artists has a unique story to share...

We actually had a "silverscreen" celebrity in the studios last week recording his vocal tracks. The same guy that has done special effects for movies like Ironman and ET, to pyrotechnics in the latest Terminator movie that came out last month, this guy has done it all!

We've had some great talent come through in the last 2 months. We've shored up the final mixes on Tate Music Group's Artist of the Year, Jeff Chandler, last week and are expecting his freshman TMG Release in late July. His single release, "I Know You're There" is gaining momentum nationwide, so be sure to listen in and request it on your local station.

Construction has begun on the new Tate Music Group Studios facility in the last week. The new facility will allow a little more room for recording and will bring us closer to Tate Music Group Design and Marketing.

I have some tutorial videos coming soon for our artists that are curious about home recording. Just some insight and ideas to keep in mind. Check back for those in the coming weeks!

If you have any questions about Tate Music Group, how we operate, what we're doing, why we're doing it... give us a call at (888) 361-9473.

Why choose Tate Music Group? Ask Jeff Chandler, our Artist of the Year

2009-05-22T13:57:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, Tate Music Group Artist of the Year, Jeff Chandler, was here in our studios finishing up his project, making some last minute tweaks to the album before its release. Jeff is an incredibly talented guy with some great ideas and great potential...

I happened to swing by his Myspace page last night, only to see his latest blog about Tate Music Group... I wanted to share this with you, future Tate Music Group artists, those curious about Tate Music Group, or those of you who've been bashing TMG in the blogs for the last year. Here's from the mouth of another happy artist!

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SO YOU'RE CONSIDERING TMG AS YOUR LABEL...

Okay...

So I'm getting a TON of questions from great indie artists everywhere about the integrity of Tate Music Group. This blog should give you a good idea what to expect if and when you sign with TMG.

First of all let me go on record saying that TMG is an amazing group of thinkers and business folks...heck their just awesome people! They are an integral part (if not the tip of the spear) in the future of the music industry and indie artists in particular at this stage in the game. My experience with them as their "artist of the year" for 2009 has been nothing but positive..

"Of course"...you're thinking to yourself "mr artist of the year"..."things are GREAT for you"..."but what about everyone who's NOT artist of the year???"

WELL...i'm glad you asked! Here's the long and short of what to expect when you sign with TMG:

DON'T expect an advance..meaning mad cash on the front end of your deal. These look attractive up front, but remember....this is a LOAN...it comes out of your hide later!!

DON'T expect a huge national push for your record. Tate are professionals in PARTNERING WITH INDIES to help them grow and make a living at your music.

1. They help you make an "easy on the wallet" record to kick-start your merch sales and make you credible in the industry. TRUST me...you'll be hard pressed to find someone that can make the quality of a record for the LITTLE amount of money you have to invest.

2. They give you a web-presence. They'll help you get your music distributed in the most accesible market known to human-kind: CYBERSPACE!! Yesssss...

3. They will help you develop best-practices in business to help YOU grow YOUR career. They will not do it FOR you...I think this is where people have gotten disgruntled with them in the past...you WILL NOT BE AN OVERNIGHT SUCCESS.

I have been doing this for 18 years.....and only now am I beginning to see MODERATE succes.. Patience is a virtue...

Bottom line: They are a great PARTNER for indies...they can help you in many ways to become successful and YES...even a full-time artist!

In my humble experience you can trust TMG...They've always done for me what they said they would do and I know many artists with them that are hard workers that aren't looking for a handout who are very pleased with TMG...I am one them.

I highly reccommend TMG to anyone who is serious about their music career.

Grace and peace to you all!!

The Tate Music Group facts...

2009-04-27T10:01:00.001-05:00

Tate Publishing, the parent company of Tate Music Group, was recently reviewed in a new book from author Mark Levine, who is a book publishing industry expert. Tate Publishing operates in much the same way as Tate Music Group, wherein authors maintain creative control, high royalties, and the rights to their book. Check out what Mr. Levine thought about our company once he had an opportunity to review our contract and see what we do for authors and artists:

I trashed Tate in earlier versions of this book. While I don’t apologize for it based on what I knew then (Tate wasn’t very forthcoming with information and wouldn’t provide a contract for me to look at), my opinion is now completely different.

Tate’s biggest problem is that it does a terrible job of demonstrating that it really does put in substantial money above what the author contributes to the publishing process. However, I wouldn’t have believed it, unless I saw it with my own eyes. Ryan Tate called me after reading this book and said, “You’ve got it all wrong. Come see what we’re doing down here.” I took him up on his offer. What I saw was an energetic staff of at least 60 people, including, 10 full-time editors, 15 illustrators, and 15 graphic designers. When you start adding up included items in every publishing package like complete editing, unlimited cover and interior changes that are available, Tate really is investing money in an author’s book.

Also, if you accept Tate’s numbers that they take 4-6% of 10,000 submissions a year, that’s about 500 books. If each author is paying $4,000 that is only $2,000,000. That amount of money can’t cover even the payroll. So, Tate has to be making money from sales of authors books to the public. It needs the portion of royalties and printing revenues to pay for its existence. The only way to get sales is to invest time and money to promote books. Is Tate putting in $20,000 toward every author’s book? Probably not. On some it might be more and on some it’s probably less. But, Tate is definitely investing money and resources to promote its authors books. It’s making a nice profit on the printing and taking a healthy royalty, but that’s not unlike any traditional publisher. Because the author is investing money up front, the royalty taken by Tate is substantially less than a totally traditional publisher would demand....It sounds ridiculous – you put in $4,000 and the publisher puts in $15,000-$20,000. In reality, those numbers are pretty accurate.

Tate is a solid choice with a great management, staff, and continuing vision. Tate doesn’t need to sell the sizzle. The facts are good enough.

The Little Things, by Producer, Jameson Reynolds...

2009-04-01T14:18:00.003-05:00

It's not too often that the rest of our production staff gets to chime in on the Tate Music Group Studios Blog, but today, Jameson Reynolds, one of our producers, will be sharing his thoughts on recording and keys to a successful album.
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Working in the music industry, you get to meet all kinds of interesting people and see all kinds of diverse projects. Here at Tate we have such an eclectic collection of artists on our label and we get to work in all sorts of genres such as country, hip hop, pop, rock, dance, etc. Among the diverse types of music there seem to be a few underlying things. When the little things are done well, it just makes a project so much better.

Many times we come across a particular project with some sort of obstacle that we are trying to overcome. Maybe it is a song that is poorly structured and the arrangement doesn’t make any sense at all. It seems those are the times where one can tend to try and overcompensate for a poor arrangement by having multiple guitar solos or weird breakdowns, etc. Guitar solos are great and an awesome turnaround in song can really take a track to the next level, but if the arrangement is already sub par, then it is only going to drag the song down even more.

This is so true for anything when working on an album, solid arrangements, sound lyrics, a consistent rhythm section, and colorful leads, these are the little things that make an album. When all of these things are present then there is no need to try and overcompensate.

One of the great things about working at Tate is being surrounded by other producers who have learned long ago that it’s the little things that make an album great and that less really is more.

So whether you are writing, recording, or whatever you are doing, always remember that getting the little things done right the first time will go along way in getting you where you want to be.

First Tate Music Group Artist of the Year Winner!!

2009-03-18T10:46:00.004-05:00

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...

2009-03-18T08:49:00.007-05:00

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..."

"We repaint..."

2009-03-04T13:44:00.007-06:00

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.

Agree to Disagree...

2009-02-26T08:50:00.002-06:00

I must admit, my wife and I watch American Idol religiously. My DVR is set to record it every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday...

This year has been interesting in that they are weeding through and separating good from bad pretty early on by having 3 rounds of 12 and only choosing 3 each week to move forward to the top 9.

The one thing that always amazes me is the reactions of contestants after some good constructive criticism... some take it well, and... well... others, not so much.

Last night was a weird night... a lot of incredibly poor song choices that ultimately made their performance worse or forgettable. The one that stuck out to me the most though, was our very own Oklahoma native, Matt Breitzke, from Bixby.

Matt did "If You Could Only See" by Tonic...

Now, here's the thing about Matt...

Matt's just a good ol' boy... incredibly likable personality, and just a friendly guy! After his performance, the judges all pretty much agreed that the song just wasn't for him... bad song choice, but all said they like him!

Simon was telling him how much he liked him, how much he wanted him to do well, but that he just was frustrated because he hated the song.

Matt's reaction? "I disagree"... and proceeds to talk about how that song was one of his favorite songs.

While I get that it is his favorite song, he may have jeopardized his future on the show with one choice. The thing that really gets me is how he disagrees with 4 industry professionals that are all in agreement and all telling him the same thing. All 4 giving constructive criticism that could further his music career... and he disregards it because its his "favorite song". I'm aware that these judges won't make or break Matt's career, and ultimately, he'll do what he wants to do... but to totally disagree with 4 judges that have made their name in the music industry and have years and years of experience?? Not quite sure where that mentality comes in to play...

I'm not bashing Matt, and I don't always agree with the judges on "Idol"...

But let's put it into perspective...

At one point in time, Tiger Woods was learning to play golf and someone was training him from a young age to be successful in that sport. He started playing golf knowing nothing about the sport, not knowing how to grip the club, swing at the ball, etc.

I have a hunch that when Tiger's golf instructors (his dad and others) said "Hey Tiger, you're gripping your club all wrong. I love you, but hate the way you're swinging that club," I'm almost certain that his reaction was not, "Sorry, I disagree with you". In fact, it was most likely the opposite! Because Tiger wanted to become a successful golfer, he took every piece of advice and implemented it into his game, and now we see Tiger Woods breaking records and winning tournaments!

The same rules apply to be successful in any industry... business, sports, and yes, music.

My point is this... too often, musicians seem to carry the persona of 'I-Know-All'... do we not?

I know that, more often than not, I do. However, I don't know how many times, as a producer, I've made suggestions because I believe it will only make their album more marketable, only to hear... "Eh... I disagree".

Now, understand, this is what I do... I produce albums on a daily basis and I make suggestions on music marketability for a living. I don't mind someone telling me they disagree. However, I can't help but think deep down, disregarding a producer's suggestions or changes to their music is only hurting their project in the end.

Success is not made overnight. Nor is success a one-man show. Success comes from surrounding yourself with and putting trust in people that are there to help you become successful... Michael Jordan's coach, Tiger Woods' coach, and yes, even Simon Cowell.

I'm pretty sure these successful people didn't make it where they are today because they shot down every piece of advice from those that were instructing them.

We can always agree to disagree, but let me encourage you all to put your own agenda aside and listen to the advice of the ones that are put in your path to help make you a success. The individuals that are trained and put into place to advance your career in whatever field you may be in.

This obviously transcends all barriers of life! Start implementing a successful mentality by allowing the help of others in all areas of your life and career. Ultimately, you could be the only thing standing between you and success.

Tate Music Group Artist of the Year Contest TOP FIVE ANNOUNCED!!!

2009-02-20T09:50:00.001-06:00

Online voting has officially ended and the top five artists of the year have been named! You can hear the winning songs by visiting our contest web site. Congratulations to the following:

Cliftones
Sally Jayne
Ron Walters
Sarah Scharff
Jeff Chandler

Tate Music Group will be bringing these artists to Oklahoma City for the live competition, which will take place on March 13. Be sure to check in on our web site for updates, where you can even watch the web site streaming live on the day of the contest. Good luck to our top five!

Less is more...

2009-02-17T09:56:00.006-06:00

It's rare that in today's "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" days, that you see a guitar player on stage, tilt his guitar up in the air only to see lightning bolts strike his fretboard, the crowd clap louder, and strangely enough, the reverb in the room intensify... (a Guitar Hero reference for those that are GH challenged or who have been sleeping through the latest fad in gaming). If this HAS happened to you, man... I'm totally impressed, and slightly jealous.

In fact, quite the opposite seems to be happening in todays music trends. The crowd gets lost at the solo at times (especially if its boring and LONG), because they aren't able to continue singing along to the song.

The truth of the matter is this... LESS IS MORE! Musicians and songwriters alike, take heed of this advice. Less is and always will be more... although I'm speaking to guitar players today, the same translates to drums and vocals as well (or your instrument here)

I remember my first studio experience as a bass player... I was doing a session when I was about 17, and I had a small dictionary of runs and licks I wanted to make sure everyone heard. I was a cocky bugger at that age, and knew these runs were decent. When it came time to throw them in, the producer stopped the session and said "hey, uh... bass player... keep it simple". Later, our guitar player did something that I always thought was cool, and he too got the "less is more" talk, and it was ultimately a better project because of those wise 3 words that the producer kept preaching from behind his automated 64 channel board...

I think you could get away with the "more is kicking" mentality from about 1980 until Nirvana and the grunge movement happened, but it ultimately comes down to doing less runs, and definitely LESS guitar solos.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm a guitar player now. I love to throw in a good solo here and there, when the part calls for it, or when the climax of the song forces me into some high string bends and pentatonic runs... but for the most part, I keep it simple. There's nothing wrong with a good solo sprinkled into the music, but don't make THAT the focal point of the album. We've had some artists here in the Tate Music Group studios over the past few months that we've convinced to remove as many as four solo breaks from a song... (yes 4), and all for the better in the end.

Those songs now have a radio playable length, will keep the attention of the listener better, and just sound cleaner!

Less is More! This is especially important to remember in the studio environment for clarity of the song (too much muddy's up a track), time, and money. Chances are, if you're in another studio you're paying for studio time... *(of course at Tate Music Group, the studio time is included in the deal, however, we still follow time guidelines)*. When you're buck counts on you hitting this solo perfect, I say scrap it and you'll be happier with the end product.

Don't feel you have to fill every space between vocal lines with a guitar solo... in fact, leave it to the imagination of the listener! Bands like Coldplay are great at achieving this... the Beatles as well! The absence of a solo is sometimes more powerful than a solo itself. Especially when the mind of the listener is expecting it. Just an "a-ha" trick to remember...

This will begin to get redundant if I don't wrap it up here, so just remember, LESS IS MORE, and... solos are overrated...

Keep it simple friends!

Vote! Vote! Vote!

2009-02-11T08:27:00.001-06:00

We need your help picking our top artist! In almost a month exactly, we'll be bringing our top five Tate Music Group artists to Oklahoma City for a competition and the chance to win some major prizes! Through multiple rounds of judging (including Tate Publishing and Enterprises staff picks, input from industry professionals, and feedback from the executive staff), we've finally narrowed the entries down to our top ten artists, and we're putting it in your hands now!

Our top ten entries are now available on our web site for online voting! Please visit www.TateMusicGroup.com, scroll down, and click on the "Vote Now for Artist of the Year" button. You'll be able to hear the top ten selected songs, and you can decide who you think we should bring to the big show on March 13!

The first place band or artist will receive the following:

$15,000
A Photoshoot
A Music Video
A second contract with TMG
Showcases for music buyers

Second place will receive $2,000, and third, fourth, and fifth place will each receive $1,000.

Stay tuned for more details regarding the contest and how you'll be able to watch live from your own home on March 13 to select the Viewer's Choice.

The positive light of Tate Music Group...

2009-02-10T07:55:00.002-06:00

Usually one of the first things I do when I walk into the studio in the morning is pour a cup of coffee and get on the blog to see who's doing what! This morning, I was reading a blog posted by one of our very own Tate Music Group artists, Rickey Wright!

I'm always encouraged by posts such as his that reaffirm what it is that we do here at TMG...

"I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the Tate Music Group for allowing me to be a part of their family. I feel honored to be one of their artists, and to list Tate Music as my record label on my musical Resume. It is a good feeling to be associated with a Christian organization that is not only concerned with the well being and welfare of their artists, but also about doing Christ's work in this world. Like many of the other artists that I have read their blog posts, I too spent much time in prayer before making the decision to sign with Tate, and I can say without a doubt that this is where God wants me to be."

Encouraging, not only for me and our production staff, but for the company as a whole and hopefully for other current and potential Tate Music Group artists!

Jumping out in faith can be a scary situation! Most of the negative messages I've read in some online blogs and message boards about Tate Music Group tend to come purely from ignorance, a lack of education about what our contract offers, or from the perspective of how the music industry is 'supposed' to work. That's one thing I can say as a loyal employee of Tate Music Group is that TMG is not one to jump in line and follow the crowd, but we're creating new wakes in the music industry, with hopes that we'll be the one leading that line while the crowd follows us.

Please read the rest of Rickey's blog to see some of the wonderful things he's said about Tate Music Group and our staff!

A Grammy's Review...

2009-02-09T08:00:00.013-06:00

Ah, the Grammys!

Last night was one of the bigger nights in the music industry (or music award industry... however you'd like to view it). I've gotta say, this year's Grammy's were pretty predictable, yet extremely fun to watch. The performances were really right on this year I thought.

From U2's opening performance to watching The Four Tops (consisting of Abdul Fakir, the only living member of the group, as well as Smokey Robinson, Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo). The legendary Paul McCartney on the stage with Dave Grohl on drums, to Coldplay's "Lost?" with Jay-Z and their break-out into "Viva La Vida". Great, great performances... However, the performance of the evening goes to Radiohead's "15-Steps" with the USC Trojan Marching Band... hands down the BEST performance I've seen on the Grammy's in awhile (whether you love them or hate them, c'mon, it was awesome... ) In fact, I'm attaching the video for your enjoyment (and for those of us that watched the Grammy's to be amazed once again).

Then of course there are the forgettable performances like Miley Cyrus with Taylor Swift, the weird fruited performance by Katy Perry, and Kid Rock. Not sure how anyone takes this guy seriously anymore, but hey, different strokes for different folks, right?

Obviously, anytime you have a legend like Robert Plant, and the freshness of Alison Krauss, you can kind of expect them to rack up the Grammy's, even over what many would deem the 'popular' choice. Sometimes its like watching the Oscars, when you're favorite movie(s) are up for an award and it always goes to the one you had never heard of. Only in this case, Robert Plant is an icon and Alison Krauss is now teamed up with that icon... I must admit, I haven't listened to ONE song off of their album "Raising Sand". In fact, the first I'd heard of it was when they'd win Grammy's and the sound clip would play as they walked up to the stage. But yeah, I plan on buying that one now...

Oh, and for those of you who missed it... I guess Blink-182 is making a comeback? Yea, that's the same reaction that myself and thousands of people at the Staples Center had when they announced it... nothing makes me want to relive my Jr. High school days like popping in a new Blink-182 CD. What's their age again? *rimshot*

All in all, a pretty predictable night. It was definitely a great night to be British!

The biggest shockers of the evening was most likely the Jonas Brother getting beat out by Adele for Best New Artist. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a JoBro kind of guy, but they are pretty popular among the American teen crowd right now...

Here's a recap of the winners and then at the bottom is the replay of the Radiohead "15 Steps" performance:

Record of the Year
Please Read the Letter, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Album of the Year
Raising Sand, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Song of the Year
Viva La Vida, Coldplay

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
John Mayer, Say

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Adele, Chasing Pavements

Best New Artist
Adele

Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
Coldplay, Viva La Vida

Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Rich Woman

Best Pop Instrumental Album
Jingle All The Way, Béla Fleck & The Flecktones

Best Pop Instrumental Performance
Eagles, I Dreamed There Was No War

Best Pop Vocal Album
Rockferry, Duffy

Best Dance Recording
Harder Better Faster Stronger, Daft Punk

Best Electronic or Dance Album
Alive 2007, Daft Punk

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Still Unforgettable, Natalie Cole

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
John Mayer, Gravity

Best Metal Performance
Metallica, My Apocalypse

Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
Kings of Leon, Sex on Fire

Best Hard Rock Performance
The Mars Volta, Wax Simulacra

Best Rock Instrumental Performance
Zappa Plays Zappa, Peaches En Regalia

Best Rock Song
Girls in Their Summer Clothes, Bruce Springsteen

Best Rock Album
Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends, Coldplay

Best Alternative Music Album
In Rainbows, Radiohead

Best Urban/Alternative Performance
Chrisette Michele feat. will.i.am, Be OK

Best R&B Song
Miss Independent, Ne-Yo

Best R&B Album
Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Hudson

Best Contemporary R&B Album
Growing Pains, Mary J. Blige

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Ne-Yo, Miss Independent

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Alicia Keys, Superwoman

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
Al Green feat. John Legend, Stay With Me (By The Sea)

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
Al Green feat. Anthony Hamilton, You’ve Got The Love I Need

Best Rap Solo Performance
Lil Wayne, A Milli

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group
Jay-Z & T.I. feat. Kanye West & Lil Wayne, Swagga Like Us

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Estelle feat. Kanye West, American Boy

Best Rap Song
Lollipop, Lil Wayne feat. Static Major

Best Rap Album
Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne

Best Female Country Vocal Performance
Carrie Underwood, Last Name

Best Male Country Vocal Performance
Brad Paisley, Letter To Me

Best Country Song
Stay, Sugarland

Best Country Album
Troubadour, George Strait

Jay-A

2009-02-05T10:09:00.004-06:00

It's always a pleasure to see great success with some of our Tate Music Group artists.
Jay-A came into our studios last year to record his 'freshman' release, "Jay A Presents the Aliens" with producer Jameson Reynolds.

We learned that he recently shot his first music video which is currently being shopped around to some major television music channels like Fuse TV.

Check it out here first!

Jay-A - MONEY ON MY MIND (music video) on MUZU.

More Vocal Tips..

2009-02-03T13:19:00.002-06:00

Tate Music Group artist, Juan Loyola, mentioned this website to us and I thought I'd share some of the tips and highlights to the rest of our Tate Music Group artists as well as followers of this blog.

THE HEALTHY VOICE

Drinking Alcohol: Alcohol and other drugs, whether you got them from the doctor or not, dry out the vocal cords. The drying out of the vocal cords and larynx, will greatly reduce the natural function and the instinctive reactions of the vocal mechanism.

Smoking: Smoking acts like alcohol does on the singing mechanism. Because of the drying out of the vocal cords and larynx, excessive use of air is used giving one a false sense of vocal control. The vocal cords and larynx need the natural lubrication created by the body. Besides being damaging to your health, smoking robs you of the affects of a healthy functioning voice.

Junk Food: Junk food is all carbohydrates. Carbohydrates take more energy for the body to digest. When you eat junk food you get bloated and tired. Take heed of this warning. Do not eat junk food the day of a performance.

Eating before Singing: It is not advisable to eat right before you sing. Your body is concentrating on digesting your food and is not free to supply the natural functions to your larynx. You should not eat within two hours of singing because of this. Then, it is recommended to eat a good healthy, balanced meal to give the body energy. You need your energy.

Good Food: Chicken, Fish, Almonds (good protein), lots of water, apples, eggs, yellow vegetables (in moderation) and rice.

Bad Food: Tea, milk, cheese, yogurt, excessive salt, orange juice, green vegetables (gives you gas and makes you bloated), grapes, oranges, pineapple, lemon, red meat, junk food, sweets, soda, alcohol, ice cream, diet soda (especially diet coke), anything with aspartame in it.

Myths:

Tea with Honey & Lemon: We’ve all heard that tea with honey & lemon is good to drink before we sing. This could not be more untrue. Tea has tannic acid in it as do lemons. These two combined will really dry out the throat and give one a false sense of control, creating throat grab when singing. After abusing the voice with Tea with Honey & Lemon will help sooth your sore throat.

Antihistamines: If your voice is irritated from a cold or allergies, do not take an antihistamine, rather you can use cough lozenges to help with the irritation of the throat but it will not make you sing better. There is no miracle cure to make one sing better; just proper technique to assure you strength and a healthy voice.

Vocal Rest: Your voice does not naturally get hoarse or strained. Your throat and voice should never hurt but if it does, you are abusing your vocal cords and the muscles of the larynx, and the cause is not from too much use but from poor training and improper technique. Vocal rest will help temporarily but will not solve the problem. Eventually your vocal problems will return; most likely the very next time you use your voice. You must eliminate the cause….vocal abuse.

Vocal Posture: When sitting or standing in a singing situation, you must keep your back straight and your ribs off of your diaphragm. When standing, tuck under your buttocks slightly to align your abdominal muscles with your diaphragm as well as lifting your rib cage off your diaphragm.

All of the nerves to your whole body, including your larynx, are in your spinal cord. If the nerves are kinked, they will not give a pure signal to the brain. If your ribs are collapsed onto your diaphragm, you will not get the true function of the diaphragm and it will disturb your airflow. This includes the back of the neck. You want to keep that straight.

Coughing: The vocal cords are very tiny; only the size of a dime for women and the size of a nickel for men. When one coughs it slams the cords together causing strain and irritation to the delicate muscle tissue. Try swallowing many times or lightly shaking the cords ( by saying “uh” repeatedly and very quickly) to relieve the tickle and shake off any phlegm from the cords.

If one has and irritated or dry throat, try Slippery Elm lozenges. They help lubricate to throat to relieve irritation and are natural and non-drying.

You are your voice. Take care of it!

Your singing voice greatly depends on your body stamina. Stamina comes from energy. If you have no energy your voice is diversely affected. The foods you eat and how you treat your body, i.e., exercise, posture, eating junk food, greatly influence your voice and singing performance. Your body and mind is the singer’s instrument. You must take care of yourself like any other instrument.

2008 Year End Review

2009-01-26T10:36:00.003-06:00

As Tate Music Group and the rest of the world music industry closed their books on 2008, we can now look back at some of the 'better' songs of 2008.

With a new year brings fresh vision and passion! Know that we're behind you every step of the way, and we look forward to seeing your faces in our studio throughout the year.

Hopefully we see some of our Tate Music Group artists in the 2009 mash-up video!
I know that this is almost a month late, but may 2009 be another successful year for all of our Tate Music Group artists...

See more funny videos and Music Videos at Today's Big Thing.

A friendly practice reminder...

2009-01-15T16:44:00.003-06:00

Just a reminder to practice before coming into the studio...

Or, your CD might sound a little like this.

Frosted Flakes over Post Toasties...

2009-01-13T09:14:00.009-06:00

No, this isn't a blog about cereal... (sorry to disappoint!)

Had a discussion the other day with a gentleman in regards to our choice of vocal microphones and other equipment in the Tate Music Group studios...

A pretty common misconception in the recording industry is the choice of equipment used in the studio. Similar to product placement in a grocery store, a lot of people tend to remember, and therefore, stick with the names everyone is buying or talking about. Choosing "Frosted Flakes" over "Post Toasties" if you will...

In the recording industry, it is obviously different, as certain pieces of equipment do certain things, and you pay a price for ones that do it better than others. Many would purchase ProTools over Logic, Gibson over Epiphone, Neumann's over Rode's, DW over Pacific... the list goes on. It's the same reason we buy Betty Crocker over Sure Fine's best cake mix on the market. The name we've learned to trust.

However, the biggest misconception is 'how much' a studio spends on that equipment. This was the discussion on the phone. Why we didn't spend $2000 dollars for a single mic rather than spending $400 for one mic. My honest answer was "because it wasn't necessary to spend $2000 dollars on a single mic, when our choice of microphones work extremely well with what we do."

If you were a studio owner/manager/producer/stay-at-home-dad/mom-recording engineer, and were setting out to purchase equipment for a new studio endeavor, you would most definitely research the product before buying it, right? At least I hope so.

To quench the rumor-mill on why we've chosen the Rode NT1-A Condenser microphone for our studio, here's a few things that will help explaining our research:

1. My favorite! The RØDE NT1-A is the winner of the Electronic Musician 2004 Editor's Choice Award and the world's quietest studio condenser microphone with only 5 dBA of self-noise.

2. The circuitry is phenomenal, and is actually a little "flatter than that of most large-diaphragm mics, as the presence peak is less pronounced and quite broad, but there's also a hint of low-end lift at around 120Hz, which gives the mic a very subtle 'smile EQ' characteristic, the practical outcome of which is that the sound is mildly flattering but still very natural sounding"

3. It's a great mic for the 'Cartoid-mic' fans... here is a diagram from the Rode website.

4. They are incredibly affordable!

5. Who can complain, its an inexpensive mic and is very versatile for both vocals and for general instrument mic'ing. We've used the RØDE mics for anything from drum overheads to guitar mics to mic'ing up an acoustic session. A great, well-rounded sound that's quite a bit lighter on the pocketbook.

6. Is it safe to say, we just like them?

I found an article about these mic's on the soundonsound.com website, and Paul White summed it up pretty clearly for us here at Tate Music Group.

As an all-round instrument mic, the NT1A has a brighter, more articulate high end than the original NT1, but the low end remains well balanced, resulting in a clear, believable sound. However, I suspect most users will buy the NT1A predominantly for use as a vocal mic, where it delivers a very modern sound, balancing transparency and airiness with a supportive lower mid-range. There's certainly nothing budget or second class about the sound of this microphone, and where you do need to emulate the somewhat warmer, more middly sound of the original NT1, a little high-end EQ cut gets you pretty close.

-----

In the end, the argument on how much you pay for a microphone is irrelevant if it gets the job done and you know what you're getting into. This mic does a fantastic job for the numerous vocal sessions we're running every month!

Just because you spend less than $1000 dollars on a microphone doesn't mean it's worthless. You can get a good deal on a car, get it for $5000 dollars off the original asking price, and at the end of the day, it gets you from home to work to home again just like the car that was $10,000 dollar more. It just may not have that retractable rooftop you wanted, the spoiler on the back, the bose sound system or a GPS system (all bells and whistles that, while nice, may not be necessary for your need of getting to work and back), but it still gets you where you're going.

All of those analogies to say, check out the RODE website for more info on these mics!

Music Sales Boom in 2008, although, albums fizzle...

2009-01-04T20:37:00.003-06:00

An article I found in the USA Today... we're definitely headed digital! Good thing TMG is on top of it all!

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By Ken Barnes, USA TODAY

Americans bought more music in 2008 than ever before, but album sales — the music industry's main source of revenue — dropped for a fourth year.

According to the Nielsen Co.'s year-end figures, music purchases — CD, vinyl, cassette and digital purchases of entire albums (grouped together as total albums), plus digital track downloads, singles and music videos — attained a new high of 1.5 billion, up 10.5% over 2007.

More than 70% of those transactions were digital track downloads, a record total of 1.07 billion that swamped 2007's previous high of 844.2 million by 27%. Last week's track downloads set a record of 47.7 million, and 71 songs exceeded 1 million downloads this year, compared with 41 last year (and just two in 2005). Track downloads outsold albums by a ratio of 2.5 to 1.

Total album sales dropped to 428.4 million, 14% fewer than in 2007, and have fallen 45% since 2000. Even combining album and track sales (by a formula that counts 10 track downloads as one album sale), the 535.4 million total is still down 8.5% from 2007 and more than 30% below 2000's physical album sales of 785.1 million.

Music purchases are "astronomically high," says Rob Sisco, Nielsen's president of music, "but it's a marketplace in transition from physical to digital." He sees promise in the rise of digital purchases of entire albums, which reached a high of 65.8 million in 2008. New albums by big acts bring the market up, he says, but "there hasn't been a steady stream of high-profile releases." Other '08 results:

•Leona Lewis' Bleeding Love was the year's top-selling digital song with 3.42 million downloads. Lil Wayne's Lollipop also topped 3 million, by 160,000. Rest of the top five: Flo Rida's Low, Katy Perry's I Kissed a Girl, Coldplay's Viva la Vida.

•Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III was the No. 1 album, selling 2.87 million copies. Coldplay's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, Taylor Swift's Fearless and Kid Rock's Rock 'n' Roll Jesus were the only other albums to sell 2 million in 2008, compared with eight in 2007.

•Swift, whose self-titled first album was No. 6 for the year, behind AC/DC's Black Ice, sold 4 million albums overall, tops for any artist. Rihanna was the leader in track sales with 9.94 million.

•Low is the all-time best-selling digital song, with 4.53 million downloads. The only other track above 4 million is Timbaland & OneRepublic's Apologize, at 4.01 million.

•Garth Brooks lost ground to The Beatles but is still by far the best-selling artist of the SoundScan era (post-1991, when Nielsen began tracking album sales electronically), leading the Fab Four by a tally of 68.1 million to 57.1 million.

•Although vinyl albums gave way to CDs years before SoundScan launched, it's worth noting that vinyl sales hit a 17-year high in 2008 with 1.88 million, up dramatically from just under a million in 2007. Radiohead's In Rainbows was the top vinyl seller with 25,800 copies.

Upcoming Grammy Award Predictions...

2008-12-17T10:30:00.003-06:00

So, although we don't have a Tate Music Group artist nominated in any of the 2009 Grammy Award categories, we're hoping that 2010 is our year. Until then, I enjoy making bold predictions on who should win and who will win. Here's what the Jim Farber of the NY Daily News thinks...

BEST NEW ARTIST
SHOO-INS
Duffy: She's the best-selling, and best reviewed, of 2008's "new Amys." And everyone keeps comparing her (however undeservedly) to Dusty Springfield.
Katy Perry: Her song "I Kissed a Girl" may be exploitative, and even a tad desperate, but she's cute. And the kids love it.
Leona Lewis: As the British Mariah Carey, Lewis has the pipes Grammy voters love. Better, she isn't actually Mariah (whom they loathe).

LONGER SHOTS
Vampire Weekend: Every year, one rock band sneaks in here. These glowingly-reviewed New Yorkers could be it this time.
Jordin Sparks: She had her thunder stolen by another "American Idol" winner in the last year (David Cook), but she did sell nearly 1 million of her self-titled debut CDs.

MOST LIKELY WINNER: Duffy

SONG OF THE YEAR
(Awarded to the songwriter for the composition of the cut.)
SHOO-INS
"Mercy," Duffy: Its great '60s-style melody clinches it.
"Bleeding Love," Leona Lewis: A big-boned ballad, made for the kinds of large voices Grammy adores.
"Viva La Vida," Coldplay: Not only a catchy ditty, it served as the soundtrack for the best Apple ad of the year.
"I Kissed a Girl," Katy Perry: It's flighty, but irresistible.

LONGER SHOTS
"American Boy," Estelle: An innovative song with a hook you can't miss.
"Lollipop," Lil Wayne: So popular, it's hard to ignore, even if it does rate as more oral gimmick than actual song.
"No One," Alicia Keys: It's not her best, but it's still Alicia.

MOST LIKELY WINNER: "Mercy," Duffy

RECORD OF THE YEAR
(Awarded to the artist and producer, judged by the sound of the record, and by the star's performance.)

SHOO-INS
"Mercy," Duffy: Given its perfect re-creation of a '60s bouffant of sound, how can it lose?
"Bleeding Love," Leona Lewis: Contains the kind of spiraling sound that screams "big production at work."
"Viva La Vida," Coldplay: It could be argued that the appeal of this cut comes as much from its sterling sound as from its melody or performance.
"Lollipop," Lil Wayne: Epitomizes the sonic tricks of a recording studio over the structure of a song.

LONGER SHOTS

"I Kissed a Girl," Katy Perry: It's not exactly a production vehicle, now is it?

MOST LIKELY WINNER: "Mercy," Duffy

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
SHOO-INS
"Raising Sand," Alison Krauss and Robert Plant: First, Grammy ADORES Alison, having flung no fewer than 21 statuettes her way so far. Also, Led Zeppelin never got its Grammy due, so this would be a way to make up at least some of that to their singer, Plant. More, the unlikely perfection of this pairing makes it automatically winning material. The album even sold big (1.2 million), an improbable figure for music this quiet and slow. All that should make "Raising Sand" this year's "O Brother Where Art Thou?," which, remember, stole the Best Album prize in 2001.

"Long Road Out of Eden," the Eagles: The biggest-selling album of the last year (3.5 million and counting), "Eden" reaffirms the values of classic rock. Critics may remain turned off to the Eagles' smugness, and their slickness, but the industry weasels who dominate Grammy's voting body love them for just those reasons.

"Rockferry," Duffy: Affirms the sound of classic '60s pop, along with seconding the Grammy's pick from last year (for the similarly retro Ms. Winehouse). Also, voters always love to anoint a new female star (from Norah Jones to Amy W).

"Viva La Vida," Coldplay: They've taken this prize before. And like doddering oldsters, Grammy voters love to repeat themselves.

"As I Am," Alicia Keys: It's big-selling and it salutes the values of old soul.

LONGER SHOTS

"In Rainbows," Radiohead: Though they did an end-run around the music industry — by giving the album away for free — the sheer nerve of that move had to turn people on.
"Modern Guilt," Beck: He's a Grammy fave, though this particular album had limited buzz and iffy sales.
"Death Magnetic," Metallica: The disk is perceived to be the band's comeback to hardness and speed, even though their last album accomplished this as well. That's okay, few critics picked up on that, either.

MOST LIKELY WINNER: "Raising Sand," Alison Krauss and Robert Plant

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Who do I think should win?

I'm pulling for Coldplay on most categories... Viva La Vida was an incredible album... not sure if its enough for "Song of the Year", but definitely an album of the year nod. That's where I'm torn, as Radiohead's "In Rainbows" is also up for the Album of the Year award... hmm....

In the end, I'm pretty happy with all the nominees... I think they hit it right on the head for the big major categories this year.

David Cook...

2008-12-17T09:21:00.006-06:00

Here's an article I found this morning on Billboard's website about American Idol winner "David Cook". Love him or hate him, his success story is pretty cool, even if he was propelled to stardom through America's most popular reality TV show... however, if anything else, he is a pretty talented artist and has what it takes to make a home here in the music industry.

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In just a few short months, David Cook went from no-name aspiring singer/songwriter to household-name "American Idol" winner. He went from zero chart ink to having a whopping 11 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 at once, the highest since the Beatles charted 14 in 1964. It's an astonishing feat that still leaves the season seven champ at a loss for words.

Now Cook and the team at 19 Recordings/RCA are trying to keep the momentum going with the artist's self-titled debut, due this week. On "Idol," he received rave reviews and millions of votes for his hard rock makeovers of pop songs like Lionel Richie's "Hello" and Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby." Some controversy arose as to where the arrangements came from, particularly concerning his rendition of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," which was based on a version done by Chris Cornell, but it didn't deter fans from crowning him the winner.

With the covers game out of the way, Cook says he wants this new record to be a reintroduction of sorts to his fans. "I came from a background of playing original music," he says, "and I really wanted to get back to that."

Cook and producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Kid Rock) started recording in late June, with Cook frequently hitting the studio during downtime from the 53-date summer American Idols Live tour. A host of rock veterans lent a hand with the songwriting, including Goo Goo Dolls' Johnny Rzeznik, Cook's longtime idol Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace and, oddly enough, Cornell, who co-wrote first single "Light On" with Brian Howes.

"We were able to pull together what I think to be a very accurate representation of who I am musically within a three-month period, which is kind of hard to do," Cook says of the quick turnaround time. The sound he was going for was an "eclectic rock" record, with "rhythmic songs, heavier tracks and sparse instrumentation."

State Silences Young Blues Guitarist...

2008-12-08T15:58:00.002-06:00

Thought this was interesting... weird situation, but the fact that he's 8 and this good is amazing to me.

Vocals...

2008-12-08T09:16:00.002-06:00

While on the subject of singing in the studio, here is a YouTube link that was passed along to me this morning that might be of help to Tate Music Group recording artists, or really any artist planning on going into the studio in the coming months...

Lots of great info and vocal techniques...

Click HERE

Singing in a studio...

2008-12-04T13:44:00.002-06:00

Came across this article today... although he is talking about singing for jingles, it is all the same, and explains why it is so different to sing in a recording studio than it is on a stage.

For more information, Google Tom Gauger...
Enjoy and learn...
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As a singer, one of the biggest allies in your singing career will be your ability to perform well and do it with consistency in the studio. As a professional singer myself singing on FOX TV, UPN Station ID’s, O’Charley’s and many others, as well as a former talent booking agent with the William Morris Agency, I can tell you that one of the biggest downfalls to most singers is their inability to be consistent with a broad range of singing styles while singing in the studio. It’s one thing to sit behind the piano with friends, and an entirely different thing to sing behind the mic in the studio where every nuance and tonal inflection is heard.

So how do studio singers who’ve been doing this professionally for years, get to that point of consistency, and how do they get the paying gigs and get called on in the first place? Those are great questions, and I will take the remaining time in this article to capitalize on concepts that most singers would likely embrace as the truth and realistic in answering them.

To begin with, singing in the studio and singing live in front of a crowd are two totally separate singing techniques and usually unequaled levels of singing expertise. It’s one thing to sing in front of a crowd where audibility of your vocals is not the main concern, but the overall groove and image is. Understanding the words on stage may or may not be a concern, but to the studio and session singer, it’s everything. You see there are marked differences in the ways that each of these singers takes their singing ability to the stage. You will find that many if not most singers don’t do both well. The singer who is great on stage in front of a large audience is usually not that convincing or lyrics that easily understood in the studio. That’s why jingle singers are paid such good money. It’s not easy to sing a commercial full throttle and not sound “ricky ticky” doing it with words that are easily understood. And as a side note, if you are interested in singing commercials, you might consider visiting ReelMusician.com for more information and download a free e-book on jingle singing.

So how do session singers get that consistency in the studio? Well, years of experience are one answer, but the other part of the answer is in how they practice. How serious are you in your dream of becoming a studio singer? In your desires to becoming a studio singer, you must commit to consistency, be easy to work with, and available. You might already have availability and easy to work with in the bag, but you’re still having problems with the consistency part. Let’s look at a few ideas that might help.

Finding a good vocal coach, that truly understands studio and jingle singing, is hard to find. Most, have preconceived notions and teaching ideas and attribute everything to a breathing technique of some kind. I’ll tell you the truth. I’ve met fantastic singers who breathe in a number of different styles, yet they are consistent as the day is long. Now I’m not suggesting that there aren’t better or proper breathing techniques out there, I am suggesting that many if not most vocal teachers, teach from a textbook style and not from a “I’m going to figure out your strengths and abilities and zero in on a workable and credible game plan that outlines a singing technique career pathway for longevity,” style. There’s a big difference. The teacher who teaches out of a textbook and the teacher who is already been out there with success under their belt, no matter what business or job, has my attention and certainly should have yours. Find a credible and reputable singing coach.

You will want to practice your singing in the shower, the car and even in a closet or close up to a wall where you can hear what you’re singing. Ultimately, being able to record your voice, even onto a cheap cassette or into the computer to hear your progress or areas that you immediately recognize needing improvement, is the best way to go. This alone, if you take time out on a regular basis, will improve your singing far beyond what most vocal coaches can or claim they can do. Because of your vested interest and now your ability to hear and figure out what needs to be changed and corrected, will be the igniting factor in your singing career and goals of consistency. Certainly don’t ignore or reject the notion of finding a qualified vocal coach, but understand that America was founded on entreprenualism and not the textbook way of doing things and this includes your singing career as well. A good vocal coach will recognize and ultimately push you in the right direction as well by hearing and giving you exercises to correct singing deficiencies.

What it takes...

2008-12-02T11:25:00.009-06:00

Many who know me at this point in time may not know that at one point in time, I played bass guitar for a rock band. Yes, the rock bands that would jump around on stage and would twirl our guitars around our necks at the climax of the set list! The tight jeans and cool t-shirts from Hot Topic. Not like, 80's rock or anything... I'm not that old. We loved bands like Incubus, and any of those modern rock bands that came out in the late 90's/early 00's.

As embarrassing as this picture is (this was the 90's where this was cool? at least that's what I tell myself)... also, I was 16 in this picture, it is one of the first pictures we took as a band.

I remember having many discussions as a band on "what it takes" to "make it", and how we can get signed. Constantly booking show after show, paying or not, no distance too far... eating gas money put into our late 80's model chevy conversion van pulling a trailer to play a show for 20 people that showed up. "Living the life," so we thought.

The misconception we had as musicians on the road to success was that that one record company would find us and all these hit songs we'd been writing would be an instant industry hit and we'd be the ones handing out awards (and possibly even receiving them) at the AMA's. We'd be flying to gigs instead of driving the old van, and we'd be able to buy our 12.3 million dollar house with a swimming pool and take it easy recording our own music in our 2 million dollar studio of the west wing of our house. Fans would be screaming our names and requesting our songs... I could retire at 20 and call it good with some of my best friends playing together in this band. They were a GREAT great group of guys.

The truth behind the artists that we do listen to on the radio is that all of them have worked extremely hard to make it where they are today, or have caught some extremely rare and lucky breaks. It's hard to imagine at times because the entertainment industry makes it seem like its incredibly easy to get a record deal and to become successful and "big time" in the music industry.

You have the ones that come out with one song and it becomes an internet sensation... "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry. Many wouldn't know it, but the "brand new artist" that MTV tells us about has actually been around since the 90's, when she was a Christian Contemporary recording artist with Red Hill Records. She didn't have any hits then, and frankly, nobody knew who she was until now (except for the few who were die hard KP fans back in the day!... no, not me.) Without that song, she would still be known as little Katy Hudson.

Kanye West was an artist, but didn't get well known until he started producing tracks for up and coming artists like Alicia Keys and Jay-Z, propelling him to the top of the Billboard Top 100.

The other misconception is the actual record deal itself... I've had great friends sign record deals to major labels, only to receive fractions of a penny off of CD sales. Their music was in regular rotation nation wide, even nominated for awards and touring with big names, and to this day receive royalty checks for less than 20 bucks because of their contract. It seems like such a great deal at first! Anyone would sign out of excitement alone... and I'm speaking from my seat and not theirs. I absolutely have the utmost respect for those guys and all that they did in the industry and in my life as well.

Signing on to a label is a great step, if you sign the right deal...
Even still, usually signing to a major label you will get the frills and fireworks at first with an advance and they'll put you in the studio, hire the best producers, play on the best gear...

And then in the end? Yep. You pay it all back some way, some how. We're talking 10's of thousands of dollars worth of studio time.

This is where I notice Tate Music Group making the biggest difference in this overtly misled community of musicians ready to take their music to the next level.

The royalties you'll receive as a TMG artist are second to none and not even comparable... where most artists are making single digit percentages in royalties, we offer the highest that I'm personally aware of.

All of this to say, what does it truly take to make it in this industry?
There is no true way of making a guideline and saying follow steps one through 2,450 to "make it", however, I can tell you that a great start is to have a passion for it, have great, marketable songs, and be willing to put aside the common misconceptions that are in place in the music industry. Chances are, you won't be driving that Mercedes for awhile... and honestly, 50% of it is working your tail off and making good music and having a large fan base, and getting the name out by playing as much as you can... and then there's the other 50% that is simply luck!

I'm not saying this because I'm biased to Tate Music Group, but I am just telling you, as an artist and musician myself, signing with Tate Music Group is an extremely wonderful thing, as we'll thrive to make sure you're getting the most out of this industry!

And better yet, you will never have to pay us back in your royalties... we don't own you, your name, your songs... everything is owned by you.

If you ever have any questions, feel free to call us. (405)-376-4900. We will most definitely answer any questions you have!

Retro-mania

2008-11-13T15:11:00.004-06:00

Quite the delay in posts I would say! However, I can graciously follow that statement by saying that we've been hard at work in the studio, laying down guitar tracks, bass tracks, piano tracks, and we've seen a lot of Tate Music Group recording artists come through our studios in the last month! Actually, everyday for the last month...

It is always a great honor to see musical tracks come to life with vocals, or to see the face of one of our artists once we've finished the last lyric of the last song on the last day of their vocal session. It truly is a treat... its at that moment that they feel accomplished, that even I, as their producer, feel like we've teamed up together and accomplished something great!

This last week was a great one for me. Earlier this year, artist Robin Liner and her family made the trip out to our Oklahoma City studios to record vocals on her album. Now bragging on Robin, she is a Tate Music Group recording artist with an upcoming release called "Serenading Jesus". Her album was one of my absolute favorite collaborations, and I think is going to be a great product! She is a Tate Publishing Author, with a children's book release scheduled for early next year. Worship Leader, mother of 6 and teacher...

Well, while she was out recording, her 3 sons showed me some of their music and I told our TMG Acquisitions reps that we need to get these kids on. Understand that when I say kids, they are only 5 years younger than me, but their music is something far beyond their years.

So this past week, it all came full circle and in walked TMG recording artists "Yesterday's Brew" (Stefan, Michaiah, and Ethan Liner). A talented group of teenagers that I would dare say have an upper hand in the "retro-pop" genre.

I'm a huge Beatles fan... as a musician, a part of you owes a lot to The Beatles or John Lennon or Paul McCartney. It's just what musicians do... But it wasn't until I was in college that I truly appreciated what artists like The Beatles or America or any of the music from the 50s, 60s and 70s have done for music, and the music industry as a whole.

And then to see this group of teenagers that are great songwriters and know what it is to write catchy hooks and melodies... plus, they let me go a little crazy and come up with some pretty wild ideas that worked perfectly for this album.

So keep your eyes peeled for their new release coming early next year... definitely an entertaining group that will have you singing their songs all week... trust me. I can't stop thinking or humming their songs.

It was a great week for all... we all walked away feeling like we gave 110% and that this is going to be more than just a CD for the sake of CDs in a CD collection.

Some other talent has been in the studio over the course of the last month! There is a lot of talent here at Tate Music Group and I'm excited to say I get to be a part of it all.

The design of an album...

2008-10-16T09:13:00.008-05:00

I'm not exactly talking about the graphic design of an album here, although that too will help your album's saleability and marketability... I'm actually talking about the entire design of your album... from start to finish.

As a producer, my job is to help 'create' or 'design' your album by helping to structure, restructure, or just adding fresh vision and light to this project. I have to be able to somewhat look past the technical part of the recording and find a way to make what is coming from your mouth, hands, guitars, come to life and sell records. From my seat, I have to look at the big picture of any project... beyond wondering if this 4 minute guitar solo should make the cut or not. What I'm constantly looking at is, "If this 4 minute guitar solo goes in, will a radio station even play the song for time purposes?"...

When you put it like that, it kind of becomes an "Ah-ha!" moment for many.

So, say you're a Tate Music Group artist and you've just begun production...
First things first, lets prioritize here... I'll usually sit down and listen through your songs and I will try to find what I think are some of your catchiest tunes... the ones that I know people will be humming once they hear this song on the radio or singing along to once they've bought your CD! If there are songs that lack what we call the "hook" (a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener"), then it is my job to help create one or harness one from what we've got.

Now, also note that all artists should try to put their best foot forward in the writing process, working to make each song as catchy as possible, however, we know that's not always possible... look at Ricky Martin post "Livin' La Vida Loca" days... okay, okay, bad example.

A good rule of thumb is that a good catchy song for radio should be no more than 3 and a half minutes long, and definitely no longer than 4 and a half. Most radio stations won't play long songs, and most listeners will get bored if the song doesn't take off in the first few lines... just an unfortunate truth because I know deep down, you're really wanting everyone to hear your 4 minute bass solo that will never get aired. (no matter how cool it is... also one reason you don't hear a lot of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones on the radio).

Another good rule is that from note one, the listener should be "hooked" in to your song...the first part should hook them into whats coming in part 2, into the chorus, etc... whether that be a guitar riff that gets the song started, or just a vocal hook on the chorus that keeps that interest. One way to write catchy vocal lines is to keep them short and simple and in many cases, repetitive. Not annoyingly repetitive, but maybe repeating the same 3 notes in a major scale using different lyrics each time... (just an example).

So we bring it down to simple truths. My job as producer is to help harness that marketability and make some structural changes to your songs to make them their best! We have to be aware of all genres of music, what's popular for the time, what's selling and what's not selling. If this means updating a 1980's sound to a more modern sound, or replacing your synth line with a guitar lick... those are the changes. However, sometimes, its just making the verse go half as long and extending the chorus because its catchy!

As a songwriter and performer myself, it is tough to let someone else share that creative control over the songs I write... it's a little nerve racking to hear changes someone has made to my "musical masterpiece", but know, I'm not putting my songs in the hands of an amateur to make those changes. I would give them to one of our other producers here in the Tate Music Group studios in a heartbeat because I know they are completely and totally immersed in the music industry on a daily basis and that they would know how to make my album sell! They would know how to design my album if you will. It's what they do, day in and day out and I trust that they will take and run with any creativity thrown their way.

Just some food for thought...

Of all the artists that have come through the Tate Music Group facilities that have come in with an open mind and willing to do whatever it takes to make their album sell, they've all gone on to do great things so far and have really seen the greatest return!