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The First Step to Marketing Your Music You Probably Aren’t Doing 

Over the past few years, I’ve been researching the marketing side of music to be of more value to the artists I work with. Heaven knows I’ve been avoiding the world of “marketing” for the same reasons you have….it’s HARD! It’s hard because there are so many fears attached to it:

It’s expensive 

What do you actually spend your money on; ads on socials? Ads on radio or print? Billboards? Your grandma’s book club? What??

You don’t want to be annoying 

You are afraid of the negative comments that are bound to come

You’ve tried it before and all you get back in return are crickets and you just can’t bear to hear any more crickets…

Right? 

So after a gazillion workshops, conferences, books and articles I’ve delved into these past few years, I think I finally figured out the one main component that most artists are not embracing or taking seriously.

Branding

By now you’ve heard this term thrown around but let’s talk about what branding really means, how to find yours and why it is the very first thing you should be thinking about before you even start creating your music.

Over and over again, artists I work with ask me toward the end of completing their EP or album or single, “Ok, so now how do I get it out there”.

Get my music out there. 

I have come to hate this phrase, even though I know it’s harmless and it feels as though there’s no other way to say it. But to me, it’s the same as saying; “I want to go to Japan. Will you drop me off at the airport and then I’ll wander around and hope that someone puts me on a plane that is heading to Japan?”

We all know this will never in a million years work but I can’t think of a better analogy than the scenario of putting all of your time, resources and energy into the creation of music and then “hope” that it will be listened to by millions and create a sustainable career.

Perhaps it’s because there are still some long-held myths out there about being discovered in a coffee shop (the story is true for a few out of millions maybe). Perhaps it’s the fault of the reality shows that seemingly catapult a few into superstardom (and we forget about the fact they are casting a reality show and millions and millions of talented artists have auditioned and are never pushed through to the actual show because they don’t fit what casting directors are looking for). Whatever the reason, the truth is that most artists I observe are creating, crossing fingers, closing their eyes and “hoping” they’ll hit a target.

So, let’s talk about branding. I am not a branding expert, nor a marketing expert. So I am compiling notes and thoughts from quite a few resources which I will be linking you to at the bottom of this blog. Be sure to check out these amazing resources that are available to you, most for free!!

According to Stephen Linn of Amplify Entertainment, branding is one of the 3 Artist Development Buckets that you need to focus on to have the best chance for success in the music industry. The other two are the business side (creating an LLC, registering with a PRO and with Sound Exchange, etc.) and the Digital Footprint (following, content, audience, etc.)

“Branding is what people say about you when you’re not in the room”, states Linn. I think that’s a powerful statement because it’s scary. Linn also explains that you can’t control it but only influence it. Your brand secures your identity and makes you unique in a very crowded space.

Exercise time! 

Take out a piece of paper, notebook or your digital notepad.

  1. List 3 to 4 words that describe your personality. Using these words, create (or hire someone to create) your;
  2. Logo
  3. Photos
  4. Clothing style
  5. Fonts
  6. Wardrobe (on and off stage, yes they can and should be different)
  7. Everything about you that you are going to share *as an artist 

*Remember, you are not obligated to share every detail of your true personality with the world, only those parts you want them to see. Even if you are enhancing some qualities or hiding others, you are in control of what influences your brand. If you don’t want people to know that you personally have an obsession with collecting mini tea sets, then pull all photos of that down from your social media and pray that doesn’t get out. OR, you could embrace it and make that part of what you share. 

  1. Write down your Mission Statement aka Elevator Pitch. The concept of an elevator pitch is if you only had 30 seconds to describe you, who you are and what your music is like as well as who it will appeal to, you should have this concise and clever summary memorized. Avoid statements like “unlike anything you’ve heard before” or “the best music you’ve ever heard” or some other egomaniac statement. I once heard music described as “It sounds as if Keith Urban and Taylor Swift had a baby and it was raised in San Diego”. You can tell what that would sound like, right?? Be clever!
  2. Define your vision. What do you see when you see yourself as successful? Will you be performing to a stadium full of fans? Will you be living comfortably as a songwriter? What does success look like to you? Spell it out in detail.
  3. Make a list of all of your favorite products, hobbies, restaurants, social spots, etc. Brand Extensions and/or partnerships can become part of your brand. Not only this but brand partnerships can become a source of income for you as well as a way to extend your reach. If you have a hobby of skateboarding or yoga or kickboxing or knitting or

have a love of Hallmark movies, include this as part of your brand. You will be able to connect with people with similar interests who may not have otherwise come across you and your music. This approach can also prop you up into the visual space for the brands you use and love to actually see you.

  1. Make a Brand Binder. This is for you and your team and not for fans or the public. The Brand Binder will include;
  2. Personality traits you narrowed yourself down to in the above exercise b. Phrases, thoughts, statements, quotes that you find inspiring and represent who you are and what matters to you
  3. Mission Statement and Elevator Pitch
  4. Vision
  5. Brand Elements
  6. Colors
  7. Fonts

iii. Pictures 

  1. Logo (variations, colors)
  2. Look and feel (mood/aesthetic) using pictures
  3. Offstage wardrobe using pictures

vii. On stage wardrobe using pictures 

viii. Any other pictures or swatches of material that add to your brand 

  1. Include your list of products, hobbies, restaurants, etc. for potential brand partnerships

I like the idea of having a physical binder for this but you could also use something like Pinterest or Trello to organize your Brand Binder.

You might be asking, after you have gone through these exercises and put your Brand Binder together, “Ok, now what?”

Your next step is

  1. Creating Brand Awareness. 

This. Is. The. Hardest. Part.

Honestly, I think creating your brand is really fun. I mean, who doesn’t like talking about all the things they love and creating a visual presentation of it? Brand Awareness is something that takes time. Remember, the Brand Binder is for you and your team, not your fans. It will guide every decision you make about what photos are best, what album cover looks best, what should I post on social media, etc. It is not a substitute for the business of bringing awareness to your brand.

So be patient. Building Brand Awareness is a marathon and not a sprint. Stay “On Brand”. Create Consistently. Contribute Always. 

While you are at it, collect email addresses and give something back in return (free download, private invitation to live streaming event, etc.)

The good news is that if you do this right, you will attract fans outside of your regular circle of friends and family without spending a dime on advertising. You can also build brand awareness while you are creating music in the studio! As a matter of fact, that is great content to share as part of your brand building! 

Make defining and building your brand the priority now and see how it changes things for you in 6 months or a year.

This blog was originally published on Becky Willard’s website Vox Studios

Here Is A Story Called: Applesauce Takes All Day

2008  Woodbury VT

When I looked up the clock read 12:37.  My appointment was at 1 o’clock, more than an hour away.  Every single surface (kitchen, personal) was, if not covered, certainly touched by something that came from an apple.

Ring Ring.

“Susan, I’m so sorry.  I started my applesauce early this morning and thought I’d be done by now, but it’s nowhere near finished.  Could we please push our appointment back?”

She chuckled.  “Let’s reschedule.”

“Oh no!  I really think I can make it.  Just…later.”

“Ah, Willa, when will you learn?  Applesauce takes all day.”

2020 Oakland, CA

 

Time didn’t stop for me with Shelter-in-Place.  Something much more nonlinear happened.  Is still happening.

A  musician and a bodyworker by trade, those professions went up in a puff of shit-green smoke.  As business fell away, so did busy-ness.  For some months I managed to fill the action back up, anyway.  Frantic.  Until one day it proved untenable.  The day before that I had awoken in such panic I actually wondered if I was about to have a heart attack.  “Willa, you can’t go on like this; it’s going to kill you.”

The next day it nearly did.  Not a suicide attempt, but the unequivocal point arrived at which everything had to stop.  It stopped for me.

In a way, something did actually die.

I canceled everything – there wasn’t any faking it, I could barely talk – and sat there.  Sat there in my garden.  Sat there on my couch.  Sat shotgun while my honey drove me down the coast to sit on the sand and look at the water.  Walked from room to room like an old dog that won’t bed, wondering what to do if not doing what I normally do (biting off more than I can chew), what to be if not being as I normally am (heinously, proudly, productively driven).

I developed a touch of what felt like agoraphobia – not for being outside (I could manage the grocery store) but for real interactions with people I knew.

In general (even pre-’Vid) it’s really challenging for me to process emotions near people.  It feels like stopping my car in the intersection to check the oil – dangerous and rude and focus-pulling.  No, far preferable to drive into the wild where it’s me and the crows and then inspect the planetary gears where no one’s going to ask me about it until I’ve done what I’m doing and the grease is off my hands.  (Fine to have some on my jeans, though – sexy.)  To be clear, what I mean by “process” is “feel.”  It’s actually hard for me to feel strong things in the company of other people.  The feeling comes up, I access it largely cognitively, and then I put it somewhere for filing, labeled “feel this later.”

Then I accidentally on purpose mostly usually misplace the file.

Which means when I’m feeling a lot, it’s really hard to be around people.  Particularly close ones, because they See me and if I’m trying to have a feeling I don’t want to be Seen.   (This can wreak unparalleled havoc.  It’s viscerally confusing and piercingly painful to whoever is close to me: “You seem to be having a strong personal experience, but you’re unable to warm to communication and have maybe turned to stone of some nature.”)  I’m still learning how to both feel strongly and relate simultaneously, in proximity.

Which premise, it may be obvious to you, dear reader, but was not until recently obvious to me, is predicated on feeling in the first place.  So: not misplacing the file.  Fully, completely, feeling.

Three months into this “I’ll be right there, I’m just gonna pretend to rest a minute” hiatus, my back went out.  Sweet day, feeling pretty stable, donuts (Boston creme and plain yeasted), went to sleep early…woke in the night unable to move.  Physically idiopathic.  Emotionally crystalline.  I hadn’t gotten still enough, yet.  So my bodysoul wrote a poem called, “That’s Cute, But Your Ass Is Mine.”

I lay on my back for three weeks.  Tectonic pieces began to move.  Foci shattered, blew away in the wind.  “That thing you thought mattered?  Hilarious.”  Shadows came into focus.  Buried Memories came up to speed, like turning the quiet hall corner into a well-lit kitchen.  Stolen Sadnesses.  Ungranted Forgiveness.  So.  Much.  Rage.  Rage at others, Rage at my own repeated, dragging self-betrayals. Rage, which turns out is just Grief in tight clothing.  Grief that made clear why people sing about drowning in tears, the waves of it so unremitting I couldn’t locate the surface to get air, sand in the eyes, hair in the kelp.  Awe so shameless my atoms danced with the atoms of the leaves on the pear tree outside the window.  Undoing.  Unmaking.  Stillness.

Some hours I lay there, breathing.

Feeling.

There was literally nothing else to do.

“Where could this be going?”  But there was literally nowhere else to go.

Thich Nhat Hanh describes meditation in this way: when we Sit we are as apple juice that has been allowed to rest; the particulate matter settles and the juice becomes clear.  (See?  It really is an essay about apples.)

Because I had slowed down some – even dramatically – I had thought I could “make it to the 1 o’clock appointment.”  But slow enough to hear myself think wasn’t yet slow enough to hear myself feel.

And that may well take all day.

Susan Comen, of the applesauce story, is a writer, musician, educator, homesteader, and bio-geometrist in Middlesex, VT.  She’s also a voice of great, smiling reason.

She would – and I would join her – encourage you to pace yourself honestly and kindly, in these times more than ever.

Willa Mamet: Singer and songwriter, Willa was born in a trunk and raised by performers of all kinds. She’s made music since about that time, singing irrepressibly and playing piano and guitar. With her musical partner, Paul Miller, she recorded two albums, East Hill Road and Let Somebody Love You, both of which won the VT Times Argus “Tammy” Album of the Year in 2013 and 2015. Her next album will be born in Spring 2020. Meanwhile, she plays out sola, with Miller, and other beloveds, bringing her unique blend of rapier tongue and honey heart to her audiences. Hear the voice that Patti Lupone calls, “Heartbreaking. Musical. Contemporary and ancient.”

Willa lives in Oakland, CA, with her beloved upright, her uncle’s guitar, a whole lot of elderberry bushes, and her six-pawed cat. She travels. A lot. For music.

Read Willa’s Blog

SoundcheckPro is offering a discount to SoundGirls Members

SoundcheckPro is a virtual training tool that enables audio engineers to practice “hands-on” without needing to physically be in front of hardware or space. There are 6 consoles from compact to large-format, external audio effects and advanced signal flow routing with patchbays. SoundcheckPro will make anyone a smarter and more resourceful engineer empowered to be better prepared for future opportunities.

SoundcheckPro is offering a discount to SoundGirls members

Discount for SoundGirls ($40/yr): sgo-6rg6e9nz

  1. Register and Download SoundcheckPro: Here
  2. Apply the coupon code during checkout on the web shop: Here
  3. Hit SYNC on the account page in Soundcheck to refresh the subscription

 

The Case for Keeping Music Political

As politics become more and more contentious in America, I’ve noticed a growing phenomena of people pleading with musicians to keep politics out of their art. It’s not a new trend, but as the election draws nearer people seem to be louder about it.

Why should politics be separated from music? Music and politics has never been completely separate. If that were the case, we wouldn’t have the music of Bob Dylan. Or Bob Marley. Or of many other musicians, some of them not even named Bob!

I understand the want to tune out the world and relax while you listen to a record, but to insist that musicians “stick to what they know” and stay out of politics ignores the role politics plays in music, let alone the fact that musicians are also the constituents of elected officials and are therefore personally and professionally affected by their policies.

Music is one of the multitude of ways that we, the people, use to express ourselves. When things happen in the world that makes us feel a certain type of way, writing a song about it is a natural reaction that has been happening for generations. I’m no music historian, but even I see the parallels between history, politics, and music.

1900–1920: the labor movement, class struggle, and the great war

1920s–1930s: the great depression and racial discrimination

1940s–1950s: the labor movement vs McCarthyism; anti-nuclear songs

1960s: The civil rights movement, Vietnam war, and peace and revolution

1970s: the Vietnam war

1980s: anti-Reagan protest songs, police brutality

1990s: women’s rights and discrimination

Early 2000s: Iraq War, anti-George Bush protest songs

Today: Police brutality and racial injustice

There are so many pieces of music to choose from to demonstrate what I mean, but I’ve chosen six songs from the past and present to make my point:

Billie Holiday – “Strange Fruit” (1939) was written in protest of the lynching of African Americans at a time when it was socially accepted by many people. It was a haunting statement that came 15 years before the Civil Rights movement in America even began.

Written by Abel Meeropol, “Strange Fruit” has been performed by Nina Simone, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Diana Ross, and Jeff Buckley.

 

 

 

Woody Guthrie – “This Land Is Your Land” (1944) is a rebellious alternative to “God Bless America.” He wanted to craft a song that represented the average working American and their equal rights to the rich. Guthrie sarcastically called his song “God Blessed America for Me” before renaming it “This Land Is Your Land.” Throughout his life, Guthrie was associated with United States communist groups, noted as a “fellow traveler”-an outsider who agreed with the party platform while avoiding party discipline. Guthrie is also known for displaying “This machine kills fascists” on his guitars.

 

Curtis Mayfield – “(Don’t Worry) If There’s a Hell Below, We’re All Going to Go” (1970) is a warning about American race relations. In this song, Mayfield conveys the idea that if we as a society don’t get our act together, then all hell will break loose. The song opens with a woman stressing a return to reading the good book and straightening up before it’s too late. The heavy fuzz bass is not only funky, it’s apocalyptic.

 

 

Bruce Springsteen – “Born in the U.S.A.” (1984) was misunderstood right from the beginning. “Born in the U.S.A.” was a defiant anthem about America’s poor treatment of Vietnam veterans. Rather than being proud to be born in the USA, the attitude is one of “I was born in the USA so I deserve better than what I’m getting.” The song is so misunderstood that countless politicians (including Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump) have used it to soundtrack their campaigns.

 

 

Rage Against the Machine – “Killing in the Name Of” (1992) with lyrics like “Some of those that work forces, Are the same that burn crosses,” and “By wearing the badge, They’re the chosen whites,” the song alludes to the history of US police forces being a white supremacist organization such as the Ku Klux Klan, whose symbol is the burning cross. The song was released six months after the Los Angeles Riots, which were triggered by the acquittal of four white police officers who beat black motorist Rodney King.

 

 

Taylor Swift – “You Need to Calm Down” (2019) released in June, Pride Month in the US, “You Need to Calm Down” is a rebuke of internet trolls and homophobes, with Taylor clearly voicing her support for the LGBT+ community. Yup, even Taylor gets political in her sugar-coated pop kind of way.

 

 

The Recording Academy itself is entwined in politics and has mobilized members to become District Advocates. District Advocates are encouraged to communicate with their representatives about issues that face music creatives. During this pandemic, the music industry, especially the live music industry, has been brought to its knees. On District Advocate Day back in August, over 2,000 Advocates had meetings with representatives to encourage them to pass legislation geared toward helping the music industry recover. They’ve also set up a website, in partnership with Headcount, where you can check your registration status and request an absentee ballot: Grammy.com/election2020

So maybe the question shouldn’t be “why is music political these days?” Maybe the question should be “why didn’t I realize music was political until now?”

Audrey Martinovich – In 2012, Audrey’s professional recording career began at Audio for the Arts, a Wisconsin-based recording studio specializing in acoustic music, where she quickly became a trusted engineer for several clients in the Midwest and beyond. From recording live stand-up albums for Comedy Central, to recording concerts on a stage floating in the middle of a lake for Reebok, Audrey has done a bit of everything. Intrigued by unusual acoustic environments, Audrey especially loves recording musicians anywhere from silos to cavernous basements.

In 2017, she became the first female contributor to Pro Tools Expert, with articles focusing on tips for recording live performances and acoustic instruments. In 2018, Audrey was a finalist to receive the award for Breakthrough Studio Engineer from Pro Sound Europe. She has spoken and been on panels at Between the Waves Music Conferences, Empowering Women in Audio Clinics, and E-Women’s Network. Audrey is a Warm Audio artist, member of SoundGirls, AES, and a voting member of the Recording Academy.

We need thousands of e-mails to hit the Senators now.

 

United States SoundGirls -The new bill just appeared and it is 2,152 pages long.

It does not have RESTART. It is urgent that we flood our Senators and the Senators listed below with emails. In addition please send letters to your local media.

Below is a list of Senators staff below. These are the personal e-mail addresses, not a box. The impact is big.

Again, I know this is laborious, but we need thousands of e-mails to hit the Senators now.

Thank you for doing this.

There are a huge number of upset Representatives and Senators, as they know the new bill leaves most small business without funding.

It can be revised in the next few days. Do not give up.

We must act now.

  1. send this to your e-mail list
  2. Address e-mail to yourself
  3. Copy and paste the blue addresses below into the Blind Copy box.
  4. Sign the bottom of the letter below
  5. Erase everything in blue and red.
  6. Hit send.
  7. Make sure you send it to your Senators as well
  8. Send to Media Outlets

michael_pawlowski@murkowski.senate.gov, garrett_boyle@murkowski.senate.gov, larry_burton@sullivan.senate.gov,erik_

elam@sullivan.senate.gov, dana_gresham@jones.senate.gov, mark_libell@jones.senate.gov, dayne_cutrell@shelby.senate.gov,

clay_armentrout@shelby.senate.gov, tonimarie_higgins@boozman.senate.gov, mackensie_mckernan@boozman.senate.gov,

doug_coutts@cotton.senate.gov, aaron_maclean@cotton.senate.gov, justin_roth@mcsally.senate.gov,

pace_mcmullan@mcsally.senate.gov, meg_joseph@sinema.senate.gov, michael_brownlie@sinema.senate.gov,

david_grannis@feinstein.senate.gov, joshua_esquivel@feinstein.senate.gov, kristine_lucius@harris.senate.gov,

deanne_millison@harris.senate.gov, jonathan_davidson@bennet.senate.gov, brian_appel@bennet.senate.gov,

curtis_swager@gardner.senate.gov, jennifer_loraine@gardner.senate.gov, joel_kelsey@blumenthal.senate.gov,

colleen_bell@blumenthal.senate.gov, allison_herwitt@murphy.senate.gov, david_bonine@murphy.senate.gov,

emily_spain@carper.senate.gov, jan_beukelman@carper.senate.gov, jonathan_stahler@coons.senate.gov,

brian_winseck@coons.senate.gov, mike_needham@rubio.senate.gov, lauren_reamy@rubio.senate.gov,

jackie_zeckman@rickscott.senate.gov, jon_foltz@rickscott.senate.gov, joan_carr@loeffler.senate.gov,

wesley_coopersmith@loeffler.senate.gov, megan_whittemore@perdue.senate.gov, john_eunice@perdue.senate.gov,

alan_yamamoto@hirono.senate.gov, jeremy_horan@hirono.senate.gov, eric_einhorn@schatz.senate.gov,

arun_revana@schatz.senate.gov, lisa_goeas@ernst.senate.gov, jena_mcneill@ernst.senate.gov,aaron_cummings@grassley.senate.gov, 

james_rice@grassley.senate.gov, susan_wheeler@crapo.senate.gov,molly_carpenter@crapo.senate.gov, 

john_insinger@risch.senate.gov, charles_adams@risch.senate.gov,kaitlin_fahey@duckworth.senate.gov, 

benjamin_rhodeside@duckworth.senate.gov, pat_souders@durbin.senate.gov,jasmine_hunt@durbin.senate.gov,

 joshua_kelley@braun.senate.gov, katie_bailey@braun.senate.gov,john_connell@young.senate.gov, lauren_obrien@young.senate.gov,

 brennen_britton@moran.senate.gov,tom_bush@moran.senate.gov, chad_tenpenny@roberts.senate.gov, 

eric_slee@roberts.senate.gov,phil_maxson@mcconnell.senate.gov, katelyn_bunning@mcconnell.senate.gov,

 william_henderson@paul.senate.gov,brandon_brooker@paul.senate.gov, james_quinn@cassidy.senate.gov, 

chris_gillott@cassidy.senate.gov,david_stokes@kennedy.senate.gov, john_steitz@kennedy.senate.gov,

 morgan_gray@markey.senate.gov,jon_donenberg@warren.senate.gov, beth_pearson@warren.senate.gov, 

chris_lynch@cardin.senate.gov,ron_storhaug@sbc.senate.gov, tricia_russell@vanhollen.senate.gov, 

sarah_schenning@vanhollen.senate.gov,olivia_kurtz@collins.senate.gov, katie_brown@collins.senate.gov, 

kathleen_connery_dawe@king.senate.gov,chad_metzler@king.senate.gov, eric_feldman@peters.senate.gov, 

zephranie_buetow@peters.senate.gov,matt_vankuiken@stabenow.senate.gov, emily_carwell@stabenow.senate.gov, 

elizabeth_peluso@rules.senate.gov,doug_calidas@klobuchar.senate.gov, jeff_lomonaco@smith.senate.gov, 

gohar_sedighi@smith.senate.gov,dan_burgess@blunt.senate.gov, stacy_mcbride@blunt.senate.gov, 

kyle_plotkin@hawley.senate.gov,eric_teetsel@hawley.senate.gov, doug_davis@hydesmith.senate.gov, 

tim_wolverton@hydesmith.senate.gov,michelle_richardson@wicker.senate.gov, robert_murray@wicker.senate.gov, 

jason_thielman@daines.senate.gov,darin_thacker@daines.senate.gov, dylan_laslovich@tester.senate.gov,

 justin_folsom@tester.senate.gov,natasha_hickman@burr.senate.gov, christopher_toppings@burr.senate.gov, 

ted_lehman@tillis.senate.gov,shil_patel@tillis.senate.gov, mark_gruman@cramer.senate.gov, micah_chambers@cramer.senate.gov,

tony_eberhard@hoeven.senate.gov, daniel_auger@hoeven.senate.gov, joe_hack@fischer.senate.gov,

emily_leviner@fischer.senate.gov, raymond_sass@sasse.senate.gov, patrick_lehman@sasse.senate.gov,

kelly_boyer@hassan.senate.gov, dave_christie@hassan.senate.gov, chad_kreikemeier@shaheen.senate.gov,

ariel_marshall@shaheen.senate.gov, matt_klapper@booker.senate.gov, veronica_duron@booker.senate.gov,

fred_turner@menendez.senate.gov, rebecca_schatz@menendez.senate.gov, rebecca_avitia@heinrich.senate.gov,

virgilio_barrera@heinrich.senate.gov, andrew_wallace@tomudall.senate.gov, lauren_arias@tomudall.senate.gov,

reynaldo_benitez@cortezmasto.senate.gov, joleen_rivera@cortezmasto.senate.gov, dara_cohen@rosen.senate.gov,

grant_dubler@rosen.senate.gov, jess_fassler@gillibrand.senate.gov, brooke_jamison@gillibrand.senate.gov,

meghan_taira@schumer.senate.gov, mike_lynch@schumer.senate.gov, sarah_benzing@brown.senate.gov,

jeremy_hekhuis@brown.senate.gov, kevin_smith@portman.senate.gov, pam_thiessen@portman.senate.gov,

luke_holland@inhofe.senate.gov, andrew_forbes@inhofe.senate.gov, michelle_altman@lankford.senate.gov,

sarah_seitz@lankford.senate.gov, michael_zamore@merkley.senate.gov, laura_updegrove@merkley.senate.gov,

jeff_michels@wyden.senate.gov, isaiah_akin@wyden.senate.gov, kris_gentile@casey.senate.gov, derek_miller@casey.senate.gov,

daniel_brandt@toomey.senate.gov, brad_grantz@toomey.senate.gov, neil_campbell@reed.senate.gov,elyse_wasch@reed.senate.gov, 

sam_goodstein@whitehouse.senate.gov, josh_karetny@whitehouse.senate.gov,richard_perry@lgraham.senate.gov,

 matt_rimkunas@lgraham.senate.gov, jennifer_decasper@scott.senate.gov,chuck_cogar@scott.senate.gov, 

mark_johnston@rounds.senate.gov, gregg_rickman@rounds.senate.gov,ryan_nelson@thune.senate.gov, 

jessica_mcbride@thune.senate.gov, david_cleary@help.senate.gov,allison_martin@alexander.senate.gov, 

charles_flint@blackburn.senate.gov, sean_farrell@blackburn.senate.gov,beth_jafari@cornyn.senate.gov,

 stephen_tausend@judiciaryrep.senate.gov, steve_chartan@cruz.senate.gov,chris_jaarda@cruz.senate.gov, 

allyson_bell@lee.senate.gov, christy_woodruff@lee.senate.gov, matt_waldrip@romney.senate.gov,

chris_barkley@romney.senate.gov, mjh@kaine.senate.gov, nick_barbash@kaine.senate.gov, mike_harney@warner.senate.gov,

elizabeth_falcone@warner.senate.gov, john_dowd@leahy.senate.gov, erica_chabot@leahy.senate.gov,

caryn_compton@sanders.senate.gov, lori_kearns@sanders.senate.gov, jami_burgess@cantwell.senate.gov,

rosemary_gutierrez@cantwell.senate.gov, mindi_linquist@murray.senate.gov, ben_merkel@murray.senate.gov,

ken_reidy@baldwin.senate.gov, dan_mccarthy@baldwin.senate.gov, tony_blando@ronjohnson.senate.gov,

courtney_rutland@ronjohnson.senate.gov, joel_brubaker@capito.senate.gov, adam_tomlinson@capito.senate.gov,

lance_west@manchin.senate.gov, wes_kungel@manchin.senate.gov, bryn_stewart@barrasso.senate.gov,

dan_kunsman@barrasso.senate.gov, coy_knobel@enzi.senate.gov, amanda_lincoln@enzi.senate.gov

 

For over 100 years, when the world needs help, who do they turn to? The Live Event Industry.

Whether it be for making the world aware of a need or to raise money, the Live Event Industry has always jumped to the forefront and delivered.

 

  • George Harrisons Concert for Bangladesh
  • Farm Aid
  • Live Aid
  • “We Are The World”
  • “Do they Know that it’s Christmas”
  • A Concert for Life
  • The Tibetan Freedom Concert
  • The Concert For New York
  • America: A Tribute to Heroes
  • 4664 – Nelson Mandela Tribute
  • Tsunami Aid: A Concert For Hope
  • Katrina- A Concert For Hurricane Relief
  • Shelter From The Storm- A Concert For The Gulf Coast
  • Live Earth- Combat Climate Change
  • Stand Up For Cancer
  • Hope For Haiti Now
  • 12.12.12: The Concert For Sandy Relief
  • One Love Manchester. 

There have been many, many more great events, but these are the most well-known. The Live Event Industry has always been there in times of need.

Not unlike the Red Cross, the Live Event Industry shows up every time we are asked and provides artists, stages, lights, sound, video, lasers, pyro,

crew, venues, catering, staging, busses, trucks,  and support to raise awareness, money, and love.

We always work for free to enable all of the money raised benefits those in need. We give greatly of ourselves and our companies each time, no questions asked.

We make it possible for those hurting and in need to survive.

We will do it the next time and every time we are asked. It is who we are.

But now, as we have been shut down since March 13, 2020 and will be until March 2021, we are the ones in dire need.

We have not worked at all in six months and will not work for another six months. Imagine that if you will. Look at your life with no income for a year.

How would you survive?

We are an $877 billion dollar industry with over 10 million people, and we are 100% shut down. We are not the stars,

but we are the 10 million people behind the scenes. Many of the companies we worked for are gone. More go under every day. Something must be done now.

The Live Event Industry has been pushing to pass the RESTART Act for months. Most national media have not carried our story and we are unsure why.

We pray they carry this story. The RESTART Act as part of the next relief bill is the only thing that will save all of the Live Events Industry.

No other Act will save us all. If the RESTART Act is not passed by October first, over 70% of our industry will face extinction.

That means when you want a concert, movie, play, trade show, conference, special event, wedding, birthday party and all of the other events

that make our lives great, most of us will simply not be there to deliver a service for you. Our companies will be bankrupt and our people in other industries.

The Live Event Industry is begging the Congress, the media, and the people to realize we are here and in need.

We love what we do, and we love all of you that make our lives possible. Please help us. Time is short, we only have this week.

Please pass RESTART. It is time the Live Event Industry has some Live Aid Too.

Everything I Need To Know About Sound Design, I Learned From Ruth Bader Ginsburg

 

Ok, maybe not EVERYTHING, but what I mean to say is that I can (and do) apply RBG’s wisdom anywhere.  We lost a champion of the people, a defender of equality, and a warrior among women when we lost Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and it’s up to us to make sure that her legacy is carried out for ages to come.  It sounds lofty, I know.  Carrying out her legacy does not mean that we need to be as notable as she was.  It doesn’t mean that we have to decide the fate of millions of people.  It just means that we have to stand up for what is right, and speak up for what we believe in.  We can do this in our own little corners of the world.  From the moment we wake up until the moment we close our eyes, we make decisions.  Some decisions are small, and some decisions hold more weight and can affect more people.  Let’s just take an extra breath and ask ourselves, “What would Ruth Bader Ginsburg Do?”

“It helps sometimes to be a little deaf (in marriage and in) every workplace, including the good job I have now.”

This seems like a strange way to begin a Sound Design blog, but hear me out, it’s impossible to hear the macro when we’re so focused on the micro.  I don’t know if this is what RBG meant by this, but this is how I’m choosing to read it.  It’s hard to see our place in the world when we can only see ourselves.  I once composed an opening sequence for a show I was designing.  It was perfect, I absolutely loved it and was really proud.  During tech, we ran the opening.  During the hold, the director looked at me, scrunched up his face, and said, “I don’t think the opening music is working.”  It was really the last thing I expected him to say, and now I became hyper-focused and aware of that music.  We ran it again, and I listened to the music.  Intently.  I closed my eyes, I moved to the center of the house, and I listened.  The director said, “See what I mean?”  No.  I didn’t.  So we ran it again, and this time I kept my eyes open, and I noticed a costume piece I had not seen before.  It was bright.  The actors in the opening light looked light and cheery.  I wasn’t even listening to the music anymore, I was watching everything on stage, and I realized, my music didn’t match these elements.  I had to be a little deaf to it to realize that.

“My mother told me to be a lady.  And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.”

This one is easy but still important.  In the entertainment industry at large, we are compared to those that have come before us and even those that work alongside us.  As designers, it is imperative that we have our own voices, thoughts, and ideas.  What value is there in “doing it like the cast recording?”  Stay far away from “this is the way we’ve always done it.”  You don’t need that kind of negativity!  “This is the way we’ve always done it” is not good for design, and it’s not good for growth.  It’s ok to be the one voice that asks to do things differently.

“Women will have achieved true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation.”

This is ever so true for Sound Designers.  We’ve all read the statistics.  Sound Design is a heavily male-dominated field, and it always has been.  What’s important to remember is that it won’t always be that way.  We’re starting to be recognized, we’re starting to be sought after and appreciated, and the next generation will learn from all of these women.  There has never been a lack of talented women in Sound Design.  There has been a lack of belief and trust in those women.  There’s been a lack of support, and now that is starting to change, but there is still work to be done.

“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”

There should not be one single aspect of your life for which this does not ring true.  It does not matter how big or small the situation, if you care about it-fight for it…thoughtfully.  I think about this when I’m designing if I come to a point where I’m defending an endangered cue.  It’s at the forefront of my mind when advocating for students’ opportunities.  When I’m questioning a policy, I remember these words.  And when I’m being an ally and an accomplice in industry-wide equity, Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s words give me confidence and grace.

Look, the fact of the matter is, I could have written this blog about any job in any industry and still been able to apply RBG wisdom.  The reason why her words are so applicable to every situation is that they are always about the human experience.  Let the small things go, be an individual, assert yourself, equality, equality, equality.  One more little piece of advice from me:  You can have a role model and still be an individual.  If you’re looking for some enlightenment, it doesn’t get much better than Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

 

Identity 

The sun shines through the window and the wind rustles the trees. It’s quiet. A soft melody playing in my head and I take a deep breath. Ah… This has been three chaotic and insane months and finally, I am in a place where I can relax. I can let my shoulders finally fall and loosen my jaw, which has contributed to my headaches. I don’t get headaches! Still, they’ve been present together with the looming anxiety. I am a live sound engineer. Although, I don’t know if that’s me anymore, but saying it out loud gives me hope. Hope that one day, not too far away, I will step into the sound booth and work. I long for it. My whole being longs. Whilst life slowly went back to normal in London, I’ve struggled. If I can’t afford to wait for the industry to resume. Who am I?

A few weeks ago I met a couple that belongs to my inner circle. They talked about the breaks in the comfort of their own home and not having to commute. We discussed identity and both of them told me they don’t have this feeling. They both have well-paid jobs and are happy doing their Monday to Friday shifts. At the end of their working day, they stop and leave work at work. Or these days, turn off their computers and work phones.

So why are we in the arts identifying ourselves so much with our work? Is it because we followed our dreams and passions? Maybe it’s because we use our identity in our work and they merge into one. A songwriter uses their experience to create a song. A painter expresses their identity in their art. Like I use my experience and love to craft my work. At the beginning of the lock-down I did a personality test and tried to figure out what I should do with “the rest of my life”. Yes, I am a cliché. I don’t care. The point is I did a full circle. Three months later I filled out a form for a career thing and I realised I do not want to do anything else and I will fight tooth and nail to get my work back.

So now I rest. I wander around my mum’s house in the idyllic countryside in Sweden and greet their hens in the chicken coop. I dream of a packed sweaty room where no one is standing still. But for now; this is not too bad either.

 

A Discussion about Foley Webinar

Sunday, October 4; 11am PST/ 2pm EST/ 7pm BST

Moderated by

Jamie Baker (she/her/hers) has been a professional audio engineer for over 20 years. She began her career in NY post in various jingle and post houses, worked as Sound One messenger, a machine room operator and recording engineer at Gun For Hire Post, a Foley recordist/editor/supervisor at C5, Inc., and a sound designer and re-recording mixer for various clients including HBO, MTV, PBS, Food Network, A&E, Discovery, Oxygen, and NBCUniversal. She has Golden Reel Nominations for “Life of Pi,” and “Kappa Mikey,” and is honored to have been on Phil Stockton and Eugene Gearty’s team as a Foley editor, especially when they won the Academy Award for “Hugo” and then were nominated again for “Life of Pi.” She has a mobile Pro Tools studio and is seasoned at working remotely as a re-recording mixer and sound editor.
Currently, Jamie continues to do remote freelance post audio work when she is not busy teaching Foley and Sound for Film and TV classes at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Jamie is an active member of the Audio Engineering Society, on the AES Education Committee, the PNYA Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and has also been a mentor for SPARS and Cutter Connections. She has enjoyed acting as a Judge for the last 6 Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards.

Panelists

Chelsea Body is a freelance audio engineer and sound editor based in Toronto. A classically trained multi-instrumentalist and post-production professional, she lends her skills to a varied selection of creative projects. Currently, she can be found working among the foley team on critically acclaimed productions such as ‘Handmaids Tale’ and ‘Marriage Story’.

Ronni Brown is a foley artist working on independent and blockbuster films, television shows, and video games at Skywalker Sound. She has received two MPSE Golden Reel Awards and won a 2020 Emmy for The Mandalorian. While she is most well known for her contributions to the Star Wars universe (earning the nickname “Princess Layers”), she started her career wearing 6-inch lucite heels for Somewhere, an independent film directed by Sofia Coppola.

Joanna, or Fang as she is known in the studio, is a New York Foley artist based out of Alchemy Post Sound. Fang has performed Foley for countless films, documentaries, television shows, live theater, and experimental media.

An alumna of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Joanna immersed herself in every facet of filmmaking and post-production studying under sound editor Marsha Moore McKeever, cinematographer Gordon Arkenberg, and screenwriter Daniel Stiepleman. She fell in love with sound design and Foley during her time at NYU and after graduating with honors in 2013, started performing and working alongside her mentor Foley artist Leslie Bloome. Through her sounds, she has had the privilege of dancing for Bob Fosse/Gwen Verdon, stalking prey as The Invisible Man, rolling joints for  High Maintenance, and crashing a bus for Ira Glass.

In 2016, she was recognized by the Television Academy as the first openly transgender woman of color to win a Primetime Emmy for her sound work on A&E’s Cartel Land. When she’s not in the pits; Joanna can be found writing poetry and prose, playing with her band, or advocating for transgender rights.

Anna Wright has been working as a highly credited Foley Artist at Boom Post since 2016. Before that, she honed her craft by watching, learning and recording a number of different artists in the day, then spending her nights putting those skills into practice on short films and animations.

With numerous Emmy, MPSE Golden Reel, Music & Sound Award wins and nominations, Anna has worked on such projects as Chernobyl, The Crown, The Aeronauts and Peaky Blinders.

What is a Crossover?

Crossovers are not the most glamorous or talked about gear in live sound, but they are an integral part of the signal chain.  Also known as frequency divider networks, these devices filter and route the signal based on frequency.  Without a crossover, the same signal gets fed to each driver in the system.  Imagine the tweeter, mids, and sub all playing the same song reading the same balance of frequencies.  The poor tweeter’s exerting just as much energy into sound waves exponentially larger than itself as its favorite treble tones, therefore reducing the overall output or worse.  And what about the sub, as graceful as a hippo, muddying the high end?  A crossover, at its core, is a collection of filters based on the needs of the system.  Depending on the scope of the system they can be a simple circuit, or be a highly customizable device.  However, every crossover has to address a crossover point and the frequency responses of the components within the system.

Every crossover contains at least one filter.  These filters determine the range of frequencies each speaker unit reproduces.  A high-pass filter allows high frequencies to be sent to a tweeter, a low-pass filter allows low frequencies, and a band-pass filter allows a range of frequencies.  The customization of the signal is the filter’s selectivity.  When these filters intersect, they have a crossover point.  In an ideal world these filters would be a brick wall, blocking any frequency beyond their cut-off point, the reality is that filters roll-off (a drop in decibels per distance from cut-off).  Depending on the makeup of the filter (how many filter circuits, whether it is passive or active or digital), the slope of the roll-off can be steep or gradual.  The order of the crossover refers to both the slope and the number of filter circuits required.  Most sound reinforcement crossovers are 2nd-order (12dB/octave slope) or 4th-order (24dB/octave).  Higher output systems rely on the steeper roll-off to protect high-frequency drivers from blowing out.

Knowing all of this about your crossover and about the optimal frequency ranges of the drivers or units in your system informs your choice of crossover point.  If you choose cut-off frequencies too close to each other, the crossover frequency will get a gain boost by both speakers, too far and you won’t hear that frequency at all.  If a driver is tasked with too wide of a frequency band, its power output will diminish and the signal might have other inaccuracies.  Manufacturers include recommended crossover frequencies with the signal response of their speakers and drivers to inform optimal performance.  When designing a speaker for studio use, where the system and location is consistent and stationary, this choice can be made permanent.  In Live Sound, tuning is done with each individual load-in, as the acoustics of the room can change the performance of the system.  Although not a rule by any means, these two situations describe the two basic types of crossovers:  passive and active.

Passive crossovers (aka high-level) crossovers are downstream from the power amplifiers in the signal flow.  They are often encountered as built-in circuitry in speaker enclosures, dividing frequencies between tweeters and woofers in full-range speakers.  They are economical, however, the crossover’s quality is key to the performance of the system.  Because of their location in the signal flow, they must have sufficient power handling capabilities, although too much focus on this can result in a bulky device.  Within a passive crossover is a network of resistors, capacitors, and inductors, these are known as “passive” components in electronics.  The more complicated the network, the steeper the roll-off, and the larger the components, the better power handling.  Due to the nature of a passive crossover, they are generally less efficient and not adjustable when compared to active crossovers.

Where passive crossovers are high-level, active crossovers are low-level.  They are implemented into the system at line level before the power amplifiers and are more efficient than passive crossovers.  Variable level controls for each frequency band are often available for active crossovers to compensate for devices further along the signal chain.  This is done with active components (op-amps and transistors) provide voltage gain, and resonant components (resistors, capacitors, and inductors) to select the frequencies.  Many systems use a combination of both passive and active crossovers, and even have an option of bypassing the passive portion for more control capabilities.  When used together the passive network is dedicated to the high-frequency horns and tweeters, and the active crossover covers the rest.

Other crossover styles available are digital or processor-controlled, and mechanical.  Digital crossovers offer greater flexibility than active and greater capability for brick-wall roll-offs.  Mechanical crossovers are more often found in speaker and driver designs in the form of domes, whizzer cones, and cabinet construction.  While they function differently than active or passive, the basic concept of filtering frequencies is similar to the more conventional crossovers.

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