Agree to Disagree...

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!!!

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...

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!

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...

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...

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

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..

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.