Songwriters in Seattle

Category: Links

These are articles that mostly consist of a link to another article elsewhere on the web.

  • Night Out Radio – Part 2 (Interview)

    Night Out Radio – Part 2 (Interview)

    Interview with Mark & Linda Gordon of My Seattle Night Out and Seattle Wave Radio

    With a website containing an online radio station focusing on local, Greater Seattle (and really the State of Washington) bands and singer/songwriters, Linda and Mark Gordon have jumped on a current trend that seems to be replacing the way we listen to music. These Internet radio stations not only reach our area through Seattle Night Out but throughout the US in most major cities (and many minor ones) through the “Night Out” organizations, with a total reach upwards of 40,000 people a day. In the previous article I listed why and how to sign up with MySeattleNightOut – for this week I was able to ask Mark and Linda a few questions about their organization and online radio:

     

    Jeff: So all this is free? I can just sign up and get my songs played? There’s gotta be a catch!
    Mark: Yes, it’s free – but since it is FREE, we ask all the artists and bands to promote and talk about our website and radio to all their fans, friends and family with routine endorsements publicly, and through their social media network.

     

    Jeff: What’s the best way to do that?
    Linda: To follow us on Twitter and fan us on Facebook, to engage us in conversation on those accounts, to make sure they post their gigs on our calendar of events on our website, and post on our newly launched Seattle Music Facebook fan page at https://www.facebook.com/SeattleWaveRadio. We will share with our “personal” page which has 4,380 friends. When gigs are posted on our calendar, we tweet about them @SeattleNightOut and @4SeattleMusic, plus they will auto-post to our “personal” Facebook page.

     

    Jeff: It’s free cost-wise but you’re hoping we invest a little time?
    Linda: I realize that takes a small amount of daily effort, but if they want more fans and to sell more CD’s, they have to “work it.” Our social media reach is very deep and we are highly rated and respected in the Seattle social media circles. Our total reach can be upwards of 40,000 people a day. This is worth more than any premium someone could pay for.

     

    Jeff: So how does one get airplay on your stations?
    Mark: To have your tracks spinning on our radio is not a pay to play, nor are there politics involved. We make judgments on how often a track gets air time based on quality of music and demand. Everyone, though, that submits quality recordings has their tracks played. We want everyone to be heard.

     

    Jeff: Is there anything I can do to say…get MORE noticed by you guys?
    Mark: When a band or artist promotes us, we will promote them heavily. As well, keep sending us new music, which keeps our programming fresh for the listeners.

     

    Jeff: So not only are you heard in Seattle but you’re nationwide, too?
    Mark: On our MySeattleNightOut.com website player there is a selection for “National.” What this is is a play-list of songs from all the 400 plus NightOut sites across the country. When an artist puts a link to a single mp3 track in their profile, that track will play on all the other NightOut Radio players.

     

    Jeff: I understand your national presence. Do you have any plans for a worldwide audience?
    Mark: With Seattle WAVE Radio, our goal is to have a global presence. We will do that through our mobile apps deployment, marketing and station programming, and of course, it won’t happen without Seattle’s great music.

     

    Jeff: Yesterday Seattle, today the nation and tomorrow the world…is there anything else you would like to say?
    Linda: We did not start up Seattle WAVE Radio for any more important reason other than we saw a space which needed to be filled; we did it to support the local music community, and the local businesses. We are not just another advertisement post on Facebook or Twitter; nor simply just a community billboard. We socially engage people in conversation, and are personally active in promoting businesses, bands and artists with value added features.

     

    If you haven’t yet signed up with MySeattleNightOut, access the first article in this series “Why and How To” and sign up. If you have quality recordings, and would like to have the prospect to reach a global audience of listeners every day, there’s no reason not to.
  • NightOut Radio – Part 1

    NightOut Radio – Part 1

    Over three years ago I began meeting with a successful podcast producer in hopes to start an Internet radio station. The station was to feature Seattle bands with an emphasis on Songwriters in Seattle. The Internet had become a major player in the broadcasting of music and this trend was only going to increase. The project fell through, needless to say, and although born from this desire were the podcasts that Chris Klimecky has done for us, we were still missing out greatly on the opportunity of utilizing the Internet as a broadcasting platform for Songwriters in Seattle.

     

    That’s where Linda and Mark Gordon of the nationwide NightOut Radio and website platforms come in. Focusing solely on local artists, Linda and Mark have put together a great bands section and a 24/7 radio station with 6 channels currently, featuring only local artists. Their eventual goal is 16 channels. With thousands of listeners and users this site is a MUST for all Songwriters in Seattle members with “Radio Ready” music.

     

    Not only reaching the Seattle crowd, there are “NightOut” websites and radio stations located in hundreds of major cities throughout the US (and the list just keeps growing) which are basing their programming on what Mark and Linda have started.

     

    MySeattleNightOut.com lists hundreds of hot-spots throughout the greater Seattle area from dining and drinking to entertainment and lodging but what really pushes our hot button at SiS is the BANDS section. The question SiS members should be asking is “How do I sign up?” and, “How much does this cost?” To answer the second question first it’s “FREE!” In answer to “How do I sign up?” here’s a step by step approach (hint: you can read it and sign up at the same time):
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    2. From the top right menu select “Register”
    3. Where it says “Business Name” type in your “Band Name”, “Stage Name”, or your own name. (Whatever name you’re using to promote you or your band).
    4. Username, email, and phone should be self explanatory.
    5. Password is randomly generated or you can type in your own.
    6. If you’re signing up due to this article,be sure to select “Other” for “How did you hear about us” and type in “Songwriters in Seattle.”
    7. Then click “submit”
    8. This brings you to a login screen – select “Login.”
    9. Under Category select “Bands” and fill out all appropriate info.
    10. E-mail mp3’s of your music (with proper meta tags) to Mark directly: mark.nightoutradio@gmail.com

     

    ((Coming next week: An interview with Linda and Mark Gordon of MySeattleNightOut.))

     

  • Aug/Sept 2011 Songwriting Contest Results!

    Thanks to everyone who sent in entries to the Songwriters in Seattle contest and thanks to Brian Nelson of Paintshaker Music for providing the grand prize: 8 hours of studio time at Elliot Bay Recording Company.

    Congratulations to the winner of our August/September 2011 Songwriting Contest…

    CHARLIE HEINEMANN

    For his song “LA Is Totally Awesome” – click this link to have a listen For yourself.

    Charlie Heinemann

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Judges’ Comment (by SiS Organizer Chris Klimecky): “This song has a great combination of a singable melody, a chorus I can’t get out of my head, brilliant phrasing, and a tight structure. Lyrically, the storytelling rides the fine line of cleverness, humor, and a touch of sarcastic attitude which always makes me smile while also making a subtle point about what is really important in life. Nothing outrageous or innovative, per se, just all the right parts executed extremely well.”

    There were many fantastic entries in the 33 we received – here are links to more songs our judges feel deserve recognition:

    Finalists:
    – “I Am The Water” by Zoe Wick
    – “Take Me Away” by Scott Burkhalter
    – “Desert Highway” by Derek Medina
    – “Sleeveless Season” by Jean Mann
    – “Life is Alright” by Steve Church

    Other Top Picks:
    – “Mr. Universe” by Jennifer Cadence
    – “Just Fine” by KC Brakes
    – “That’s When Life Began” by Bruce Hunt
    – “Tale of a Missouri Girl” by Erin Jordan
    – “It’s Time” by Cat Henderson
    – “Morning Aire” by Leo Brodie
    – “Heroes” by Randy Edwards
    – “(My Meeting With) Mr. Vegas” by Jim Marcotte
    – “Feeling’s Gone” by Lou Gopal
    – “Chelsie Don’t Cry” by Segrid Coleman
    – “The Wedding Song” by Andy “Roo” Forrest

     

    Archive of contest info and rules:

    Grand prize is 8 hours of studio time at Elliot Bay Recording Co. courtesy of Brian Nelson at Paintshaker Music ($550 value)!

    Elliot Bay Recording Company

     

    This contest ends Sept. 30 – See rules and submission procedures below…

    Aug./Sept. 2011 SiS Songwriting Contest Rules

    Eligibility

    1. You must be a Pacific NW Songwriters in Seattle member in order to be eligible.
    2. SiS Board of Directors and Employees/Associates of Elliot Bay Recording Company and Paintshaker Music are not eligible.
    3. Entries must be submitted by Friday, September 30.
    4. Submitted songs must be publicly and freely available on the internet via weblink. This is for your benefit! We will showcase and publicize you and your song to everyone if you win! MP3s submitted directly to SiS will not be eligible. Songs with any listening gate/restriction (for example, must sign up for a mailing list) will not be eligible.
    5. Multiple songs from a single writer are not eligible. Only the first song submitted will be considered.

    Submission

    1. Send a link to your song to contests@songwritersinseattle.com. If there are multiple songs accessible from that link, be sure to state specifically which song you are submitting.
    2. Only one song per songwriter will be accepted. It is okay if one artist performs the songs of multiple songwriters. We are recognizing and awarding the songwriters, not the performing artists.
    3. In your e-mail submission, please be clear about stating who the songwriters are (i.e. credits).

    Awards

    1. The winner will be determined by the SiS Board of Directors. All decisions are final.
    2. The winner will be announced Monday, October 17th at the SiS Monthly Networking Meeting at Cafe Allegro in the U District and posted here on songwritersinseattle.com the day after.
    3. Coordination and scheduling of the grand prize awarded max. 8 hours of recording time at Elliot Bay Recording Co. will need to be arranged between the winning artist and Brian Nelson of Paintshaker Music.

  • Music Biz – What To Do Next? Part 1: The CD

    (Editor’s Note: Jennifer runs a monthly Music Biz Workshop event for SiS and has agreed to share some of her notes and recommendations in a 3-part series)

    You have passion and music and want to do something with them. Here’s the best order in which to proceed:

      1. Record your songs. Suck it up and either put down the money for professional recordings or barter for them. If you’re a songwriter, find or hire talented musicians (don’t settle with your friends) to perform on the recording.

    Some helpful tips:

        a. If you’re flat broke try the following for fundraising:

          i. http://www.kickstarter.com/
          ii. http://www.slicethepie.com/
          iii. http://www.pledgemusic.com/

        b. Hire a producer or bring in a trusted, truthful musician to give you outside feedback. YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF YOUR OWN HEAD during this process which is why your money would be well spent on a producer.
        c. Go in with a plan. It will save you lot’s of $ in the long run.
        d. Remember QUALITY OVER QUANTITY! If you can’t afford to pay for a full-length album, a four or five song EP is all you need to get your career going and will save you money.
        e. Eugene Foley www.FoleyEntertainment.com Has this to say about information for songs regarding commercially desirable structure (the most appealing structure for a sellable song) “One thing to keep in mind, at least for your songs designated as “Singles” (the songs geared towards winning over radio stations, record company executives and music publishers) – try to keep Intros under 10 seconds and try to reach the Chorus between the 40 and 43 second mark. This is very important in the following genres: pop, rock, singer/songwriter, R&B/pop, alternative rock, jazz/pop and punk/pop. If it’s 44 seconds or longer into a song and the Chorus did not kick in yet, you should edit the arrangement accordingly. In rap music, the chorus can come in at the 59 second mark or even a bit later, since the verses are traditionally longer, compared to other genres of popular music. Radio, Record Company and Music Publishing executives pay close attention to song arrangement, as they decide if an artist is developed enough for them to show interest.”
        f. A recommendation for order of songs on your disc:

          i. Your strongest song should ALWAYS be first.
          ii. If you will be submitting the cd to record companies, (similar to a demo CD setup) radio stations, etc. the first four to five songs should be in the following order:

            1. Upbeat (and/or strongest) song
            2. Midtempo OR ballad (whichever one is stronger)
            3. Midtempo OR ballad
            4. Upbeat (if this is your closing song) if there will be others on the disc a Midtempo song.
            5. Strong, Upbeat closing song.

          iii. This particular song order has been deemed the most appealing and is considered an industry standard.

      2. Have songs professionally mastered. Don’t just run them through garageband, have them taken (or emailed in) to a professional mastering studio and watch the magic.
      3. Hire a graphic designer and photographer to do the cd art. Don’t let your music be hindered by bad artwork. Check out local colleges for graphic design students or try posting an article on craigslist to find someone if you’re on a tight budget. If you have a strong fan base, ask your fans to get involved. Have them design it for you in a contest or have them vote on it. Fans love being involved. 🙂
      4. Duplicate your music. Start small, 100 cds is a good starting point. Discmaker’s 1000 cds deal is tempting BUT it takes a LONG time to sell/ get rid of 1000 cds. I would recommend having two sets of cds- 1 printing for press kits and 1 printing for merchandise.

        a. The press kit printing should include your contact information (email, name, phone number and physical [use a PO Box] mailing address) on the physical cd, on the back of the cd and near the liner notes on the inside of the cd. Get it in a standard jewel case WITHOUT plastic wrap.
        b. Merchandise copy can be in whatever format you’d like- just make sure you have a UPC code on it. If you don’t have one, CDBABY.com can get you a UPC for $20
        c. Studio North Duplication can do small order in a short turn time numerous different cases relatively cheap PLUS they’re based out of Lynnwood, which will save Seattle-ites on shipping costs. http://www.studionorthduplication.com/

      5. Register your copyright

        a. Also check with your performing rights organization to see what needs to be done to have your song accounted for so you can collect any royalties you generate.

          i. If you don’t have a PRO, get one- ASCAP, BMI or SESAC

      6. To CD release party or to not CD release party? You’ve just finished your project and are super excited to share it. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

        a. You’re either a starting artist with a small fan base or revamping your current direction into a new style do you have enough fans to be the headliner that the venue would want you to be? This typically means bringing in enough people to make the venue happy.
        b. A proper, successful CD release (the type that record labels do) involves AT THE VERY LEAST 10 weeks of prep time Check out the Music business toolbox at http://www.musicbusinesstoolbox.com/ to see the checklist and more. I highly recommend purchasing this product! Worth every single cent!
        c. It typically takes 2-3 months to book a release show.
        d. Will you have everything digitally in line with your physical release?
        e. Here’s a great article on Music Think Tank with more CD release tidbits http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/10-key-to-dos-for-a-successful-cd-release-party.html
        f. Sometimes the smarter thing to do is simply start selling cds at shows and send out an email announcing that your cd is now available.

      7. Digital distribution. If you are having a CD release party try to make sure that your digital distribution date happens around the same time. The top used digital distribution services are:

        a. http://www.cdbaby.com/
        b. http://www.tunecore.com/
        c. http://www.reverbnation.com/user/login#!/main/overview_artist?feature=digitaldistribution
        d. http://bandcamp.com/ This one is FREE!

    Now that you have your music in your hand you have a tangible product to sell. One VERY important thing to remember is that you are not selling simply music, you are selling yourself. Next up in Part 2 is most likely the hardest, most time consuming, the most confusing and the most frustrating- Marketing.

  • “Mooncakes” on NPR’s Marketplace

    Songwriters in Seattle had a really cool and unexpected bit of national media attention Monday with our song, “A Black Market For Mooncakes” being part of a segment on NPR’s Marketplace. I’ve been asked a lot about how it happened, all the way back to the origin story of the song, so I thought I’d give you the lowdown on how it went down. First, here are the links to the NPR piece itself, as they have the text of what was read on air along with the whole song posted here:

    NPR Marketplace segment on Mooncakes song

    You can hear the entire audio of the Marketplace segment on their posted podcast here (our “Final Word” bit starts around 25:15):

    9/12/11 Marketplace segment audio

    So what’s the connection to Marketplace in the first place? Back in Sept. of 2010 my friend Skye Hansen posted a link to a Marketplace article by NPR Marketplace China correspondent Rob Schmitz called “A Black Market For Mooncakes” on her Facebook wall. I had only seen the headline come across my screen and it struck me as unique and poetic – so off the cuff I immediately commented on the post, “Sounds like a song title…” (completely in jest, of course). What Skye commented back was magical:

    “There’s a black market for mooncakes
    That appears in the dead of night
    It’s right next to that store with the fallingstar jam
    And other unearthly delights!”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    As I was at once surprised and blown away, I definitely wanted to make this into a real song. So I did try in vain for a few weeks to see if I could do anything with it, to no avail. Thus the Songwriters in Seattle “mashup” event where I brought what I thought could be a decent seed for a group collaboration. After some discussion about Rob’s article and the potential themes of China’s repression, underground rebellion, people coming together despite restriction to celebrate their passions, and the poetic symbol of the cosmic eatery, it was agreed that we’d give it a shot. (Note: Rob’s article wasn’t really about any of those things – it was more what we were inspired to think about based on the seed idea). With the throwing out of my portion of the attempted lyrics and some tweeking of Skye’s original chorus, we went to work.

    As you can imagine, 10 songwriters in a room trying to write the same song was…challenging. Lyrics and associated chords were written (and crossed out) with big black markers on large sheets of paper and stuck to the walls. There was much chaotic guitar playing and random singing. Some were frustrated, some thought it was going nowhere – or at least nowhere worthwhile. But after 3 hours or so, we had something – it wasn’t much, but we had something and it was actually pretty good. With me standing up at the sheets on the wall and trying to direct everyone to verses and choruses that would make a reasonable finished structure with what we had (only one verse of lyrics in addition to what we started with plus the chords to the two sections), we hit record on Jessica Lynne’s iPhone and ran through it best we could:

    (Warning – this is super rough, with beer bottles clanking as they fall over, yelling directions, and other such fumbling to get through)
    [audio:https://songwritersinseattle.com/audio/BlackMarket_SiSmash.mp3]

    Now fast forward a few months…based on that recording I obviously had some work to do to make the song into a listenable finished piece, but it finally came together. Recording was fun as this is not anywhere near a typical style for me. Breaking out the nylon string guitar for a flamenco solo and faking castanets with spoons from the kid’s toy percussion set were especially unusual. And then singing along with Jessica Lynne and David Rix to make us sound like a much larger group was a real kick. Overall, I am very happy with how the song and recording turned out. I feel it represents the collaborative talents and aspirations of Songwriters in Seattle very well.

    Many thanks again to David whose great idea and, more importantly, his action it was to send the recording to the original author of the Marketplace article which inspired the song, Rob Schmitz, and got the next part of the story started. Rob’s response:

    “All I can say is: Wow. I knew I had hit upon something when I reported the
    mooncakes story, but I never in my wildest dreams thought it was worthy of
    moving a group of musicians to song. Well done. I¹m honored my bizarre
    little story inspired your group to write and perform this piece.”

    Rob forwarded it to his producers in LA and next thing you know, David and I are working out the details with Marketplace Producer Fiona Ng to get the song on the air and linked on their website. Some vague details about what we should expect and when…then a few days later…boom! “I thought it was kinda catchy…” – Marketplace host, Kai Ryssdal. How cool is that? Thanks to Rob and Fiona for making it all happen.

    There you have it! This is yet another great example of the amazing things that can happen when we work together!

  • Home Recording: Choosing a DAW

    One of the toughest first steps that anyone wanting to get into home recording has to go through is picking which Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) to use. As the DAW is the heart of any home studio, it’s also one of the most important steps. The good news is that all modern DAWs are going to sound good…once you get them to work and know how to use them. And therein lies the varying degrees of bad news. Some are easier to work with (both hardware and software-wise) and some are harder.

    So how do you choose? Everyone has heard of ProTools, as it’s the professional studio standard – but it’s also pretty expensive (for more than the entry level system) and complex. I’m not saying it’s a bad choice, of course, it’s just that it’s a good idea to not just assume you have to go in that direction – there are lots of options. This blog post over at Discmakers is a good place to start, at least to introduce you to some of your choices:

    Discmakers – Choosing Your DAW

    It’s not a completely comprehensive list – be sure to read the comments section to find even more suggestions readers have. Personally I use one not on the list: Tracktion 2, which is Mackie’s software (currently unavailable and unsupported). Why? Because not only does it have a super intuitive software interface, but it came bundled with Mackie’s great hardware interface and mastering software. Point is, I did my research, picked a system that fit my needs and budget, and I’ve been happy ever since. Not that there aren’t trade offs – my system has plenty of quirks and limitations I’ve learned to workaround that may be non-starters for you.

    So go take a look, do your research, and I’d love to hear your comments on DAWs you’re thinking about using or maybe you have strong feelings about the one you already use. They all have positives and negatives – what have you learned about different DAWs?