 cliff’s note |
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It’s nice to be back in New York after hitting the road to both Los Angeles and Nashville over the past few months. I had the pleasure of teaching at the Durango Songwriter’s Expo in Santa Barbara as well as the Nashville Recording Workshop with co-panelist and engineer extraordinaire Dan Rudin. There are a lot of talented people out there writing and recording some amazing music and it’s always inspiring to see what other songwriters, artists, engineers and producers are up to.
Speaking of talented people, it’s my privilege to introduce you to two of my favorite collaborators. Guest columnist Jennifer Hamady is a singer, vocal coach and songwriter of the highest order. Not only has she toured with Stevie Wonder and Def Leppard and performed on the Grammys and American Idol as a back up vocalist but she’s recently written a book entitled "The Art of Singing: Discovering and Developing Your True Voice." She provides invaluable insights in this issue’s column about what you, as a songwriter, should do to sing on your rough recordings.
Larry Goldings and I met through a mutual friend and it wasn’t until I did some digging on my own that I realized the depth and breadth of his career. His low-key, modest demeanor belies his monstrous musical talent.
I hope you’re all staying focused, curious and inspired and I’ll look forward to hearing from you soon.
-Cliff
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guest columnist |
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Capturing The Magic In Your Rough Recordings
JENNIFER HAMADY:
 Songwriting, for most of us, is a tremendously intimate experience. The magical inklings of lyrics and melodies spring to life in our minds, getting polished and reworked until they’re ready to be shared with the world. Unfortunately, the delivery is often a painful one. The way we imagine our musical creations rarely seems to translate quite right to our rough recordings. Often something gets lost or altogether altered. This is all the more true when we ask other people - session players and certainly singers - to give voice to our work. Are these ‘mistranslations’ inevitable? What is the best way to get our songs out there in the world as we feel them in our hearts and hear them in our heads?
The first part of the answer lies in how you initially express and share your song. This is generally in the form of a rough demo, the recording of which is often a traumatic experience for most non-singing songwriters I know. Desperate to just get it down, they shift out of the inspired mindset in which they created the song and - apologizing all the way- clinically eek out each note and phrase.
read more...
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events |
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Cliff Goldmacher presents "Stripping Down Your Demos & Getting Them Cut"
When: Tuesday, May 11th, 6pm-8pm
Where: New York SGA Foundation offices at 1560 Broadway, Suite 408
Click here to register
BMI Events Calendar
ASCAP Events Calendar
SESAC Events Calendar
Nashville Songwriter’s Association (NSAI) Events Calendar
Songwriter’s Guild of America (SGA) Events Calendar
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music biz tips |
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The Pros & Cons of Signing a Publishing Deal
By Cliff Goldmacher
For most songwriters in the early stages of their careers, the idea of being hired as a staff songwriter for a publishing company is close to the Holy Grail. It represents that most coveted prize of industry recognition and validation of your talent along with a gateway to cuts, movie placements and any one of a number of other exciting possibilities. However, keep in mind that wanting or entering into a relationship with a publisher in order to simply validate your talent is probably not the best approach. As with any business relationship, it’s essential that you, as the songwriter, understand what you’re giving up as well as what you stand to gain by signing over partial (or complete) ownership of your copyrights to a music publisher.
What is a Publishing Deal?
Let’s start at the top, in general terms, a typical publishing deal involves the assignment of some part of the ownership of your songs to a publishing company in exchange for a monthly payment known as a draw. The publisher can also provide co-writing opportunities based on their industry relationships and pitching opportunities by members of the publishing company’s staff called song pluggers. I’m aware that there are many variations on this arrangement such as no draw in exchange for giving up less ownership of your copyrights to the publisher but for the sake of this article, I’m going to paint in broad strokes.
Read More...
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featured artist |
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LARRY GOLDINGS
 Larry Goldings is a rare blend of gifted instrumentalist, songwriter and A-list sideman. Having toured and recorded with artists from Pat Metheny to James Taylor, Larry is in constant demand. He’s also managed to put out a dozen releases of his own featuring both his piano and Hammond organ work. This includes a Grammy nomination in 2007 for best jazz album.
Based in Los Angeles, Larry has also found his way onto the soundtracks of movies like the recent Adam Sandler release "Funny People" and the new documentary "Johnny Mercer: The Dream’s On Me" produced by Clint Eastwood.
This summer Palmetto records will release Larry’s collaboration with saxophonist Harry Allen. Larry also plays organ on Herbie Hancock’s upcoming CD "The Imagine Project."
Do yourself a favor and give Larry’s music a listen.
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studio promotions |
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Contest Rules:
Every studio session you book in either New York or Nashville will count as an entry in the drawing for a Shure SM27 microphone. No limit to the number of entries.
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May 6, 2010 
