Excellent blog on songwriting by Brooke Fraser...

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

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...

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!

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

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...

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...

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.