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  • john

    Songstuff Writer and Artist Development Challenges

    By john

    Independent writers and artists face several large disadvantages when they are compared to signed, mainstream writers and artists.  Disadvantages that add up to making it a competition that indies can’t win. Hell they can’t even compete.   Lack of budget and poor contacts are fairly obvious disadvantages. Lack of experience and a lack of knowledge restricts songwriters and artists alike. Lack of an overall strategy, and a limited set of incomplete tactics, makes for a critical problem
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Review

Superficial Review: Toontrack EZ Keys 2

Yesterday was a much anticipated day for me, with the release of Toontrack’s EZkeys 2 (EZK2), the sequel to (surprise) EZkeys, which was released back in 2012.  That's several lifetimes of normal product cycles, and it was for a long time thought that EZkeys had been abandoned by Toontrack. But the rumours of an update started towards the end of last year, and now the product is finally here. It is unquestionably a massive update, coming into line UI-wise and to an extent, functionality-wise wit
MisterB

MisterB in Review

2
Music Blogs

SSUK Music

Hey all   SSUK Music       SSUK runs playlists on Spotify, YouTube and Soundcloud.   Some playlists are genre based while others are inspired by a mood or an activity.   Please follow the SSUK account on each platform and where possible the individual playlists. Choosing a playlist helps support SSUK, meanwhile playing the songs supports the artists.   Besure to leave comments for SSUK staff, here or in reply to SSUK posts on thei
john

john in Music Blogs

0
VIrtual Studio Technology

Virtual Session Musicians

This first blog entry is being written just as we see an exciting new development in virtual vocalist tech, with the addition of rapping to Dreamtonic’s Synthesizer V, and on the eve of the release of Toontrack’s EZkeys2. Synthesizer V and EZkeys are two of the products I use in every production I do, and have not only allowed me to reveal my musical voice but also to write songs in record time. Since downloading Synthesizer V in August of 2022, I have co-written 9 vocal songs, handling the musi
2023

Songwriting Challenges

Independent songwriters and music producers really miss out on the advantages gained by artists and songwriters through the songwriter and artist development activities within record labels and music publishers.  Within these activities songwriters, performers, artists and even producers will gain experience making them into more rounded artists, songwriters etc. They may collaborate, through songwriting camps, workshops or songwriting dates, or similar. The immediate aim might be to write
john

john in 2023

1
Studio

Moving Home, Moving Home Recording Studio

It’s typical. Just I am happy with my home studio, I have to strip it down and move the whole fecking thing. Grrr.   It had to be done so… just suck it up and get on with it, John. (Talking to myself in the 3rd person now too!)   Moving house can be a stressful time for anyone, especially if you are a musician and have to rebuild your home recording studio. It can feel like a daunting task, but with a little bit of planning and effort, you can have your new studio up
john

john in Studio

5
2022

A Guide To Song Forms

A Guide To Song Forms Song Form, another way of saying Song Structure, is a useful way of understanding songs that are made up of a number of sections. There are a whole bunch of song forms. Some are quite broad ranging, others are strongly associated with specific genres.   Our article “A Guide to Song Forms - Song Form Overview“ gives you a good grounding in the basics of song structure. It also gives you links to in-depth guides on each song form including examples of that song
john

john in 2022

0
Monologue

The Industry Pitch - A Short Monologue

"..Dear artist, lets get straight to the point. You NEED us because you will NEVER amount to anything on your own. You are just a small fish in an ocean of talent and you can quite literally be replaced over night. We have access to both the knowledge, tools, money, and the right relevant connections to shake things up, put you out there, and make things happen. Always remember that you are an inconsequential little spec of dust. Be thankful for our time and resources. Do as we tell you, when we
VoiceEx

VoiceEx in Monologue

1
art & music

My Youtube account was recently hacked into. Slowly working things back up!

Among the million other things I was trying to keep hold of with life (ironically, while away from social media), my YouTube account got hacked a couple months ago by some Bitcoin weirdos. It took a bit of initial panic and a bit of work to get things back up.    If anybody's interested, you may find the details of the case here:   Youtube Account was hacked & then permanently deleted(all in a day??)! HELP. - YouTube Community (google.com)   Anyways, I'm glad th
Mahesh

Mahesh in art & music

3
Rewire the Voice

Rewire the Voice : Beginnings

Back in 2016, when I was working on "The Union" album with Blushing Satellite, I was given a diverse set of sounds to emulate with the lead voice. My friend Rama who's the band leader (& also played guitars on my own EP "Accept") envisioned my voice being used in ways I wasn't experienced with before.   For example, there were times when he asked me to emulate a violin for a certain part, & a flute for some other. It took a while for me to even understand what he was really ask
Mahesh

Mahesh in Rewire the Voice

6
2022

Songstuff Channel Trailer

The Songstuff Channel on YouTube     Help us to help independent artists, songwriters and musicians!   Please subscribe to our channel, and please share our post and/or trailer in case you know any musicians that would be interested in our community or benefit from our site, and of course like and comment on the trailer!
john

john in 2022

2
Update

"Where Have You Been?!"

Hey guys! how is everyone doing? Man, its been so long since I have had some time to myself to make a quick blog, its f*cking ridicules! 😅 my schedule has been hella packed to the max, and I want to share with you a few of the things I have been up to recently, not to mention, catch up properly on all the things which I have been missing.   Though first thing is first. Lets address the elephant in the room. No, I am NOT dead! 💯 hey, with my blood pressure, that's an accomplishment! 👍 S
VoiceEx

VoiceEx in Update

8
Tips of the Trade

MUSIC CREATION HAS CHANGED, FAN BEHAVIOR HAS CHANGED, AND THEREFORE, ARTISTS’ NEEDS FOR DIGITAL MUSIC DISTRIBUTION HAVE CHANGED TOO.

The example of a timeline of release for a hit single layout details how motivation and determination played a key role in the success.     "We learned that self-releasing artists are creating music way more frequently than ever before and they should."   https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/music-creation-has-changed-fan-behavior-has-changed-and-therefore-artists-needs-for-digital-music-distribution-have-changed-too/  
Peggy

Peggy in Tips of the Trade

1
News

7 of the Biggest Problems with the Music Industry

"Music is a tough business that necessitates an unusual combination of talents and traits. Musicians often have to take on a lot of business-related work and must balance many other responsibilities."   https://www.musicianwave.com/biggest-problems-with-the-music-industry/
Peggy

Peggy in News

0
News

Why music marketing is so EXHAUSTING these days

Such a well-written and informative article detailing what both established and new artists are up against in marketing their music. Worth a read.     "Keeping a frequent presence on various social media platforms is becoming too much for many artists’ mental health, performance, and overall well-being. How did it get to this point?"   https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2022/06/why-music-marketing-is-so-exhausting-these-days.html
Peggy

Peggy in News

0
News

CD Baby Selects Trolley as Payout Partner —

"Streamlining Payments to Its Global Clientele Of 1.2+ Million Recording Artists   CD Baby, easily one of the world’s largest  music distribution companies, has partnered with customizable payout platform Trolley. "   https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2022/05/16/cd-baby-trolley-payout-partner/  
Peggy

Peggy in News

0
Musicianship

Mediocrity

What is the worst quality of any artist?  By this I mean related to the art itself not interpersonal relationships or bad habits.   It is not lack of intelligence, artists do not need to be intellectuals.   It’s not even being bad.  People who are bad usually know it and try to compensate in other ways.   The worst problem is mediocrity, the gray area between good and bad.  This usually shows first as a lack of taste and discrimination.   The dictionary de
Career

Outlaws and Criminals

Do you know the difference between an outlaw and a criminal?  Most people think they are synonymous and interchangeable but they are often different concepts.   Criminals are outlaws in a legal sense but outlaws are not always criminals.  Outlaw is often a cultural or artistic construct more than a legal one.  Criminals break the law, outlaws are outside it.   The word outlaw originated from the term outcast.  This is someone who does not conform to the community and are cast
Clay Anderson Johnson

Clay Anderson Johnson in Career

2
General

Different Worlds

One of the complexities of life is people are similar but different.  Everyone lives at the same time both in the world they perceive and the larger world referred to as reality or a commonly accepted form of what really exists.  Even that is not the final reality.  This is why there is both Religion and Science.  Each claim to be the final arbitrator but it is physically impossible for the finite to conceive the infinite.   Back to the original subject…   My neighbors and I
Education

Luck Education Opportunity

I view life as a combination of luck and education combined with opportunity .  I will give you a classic example of good luck.   I was born into a rural backwater and married a woman who grew up in Beverly Hills whom I met at an online dating site.  High odds, not a good match at first sight.   My original college education was Theater not Music.  Her entire family is composed of artists, writers, and producers.  Check the Box √   She has a Gay brother, which is a
General

Good People, Bad People

This is an illustration of Good and Bad people with two different stories.  One involves me, the other involves my wife, Adrienne.  The stories are based upon actual situations.  These are what in literature are referred to as morality stories and are set in a background centered around music.   The first story is mine.  I once played in a band which included two brothers, one played rhythm guitar, the other drums.  The elder was the guitarist.   The guitarist was OK, basical
Career

Helping Others

Everyone usually knows their strengths, but how many recognize their limitations?  How many people go anywhere without helping someone else other than themselves?   I know my limitations because I have a lot of them.  I am not so much a creative person as I am a good problem solver.  This is because I was trained to solve problems in one way or another.  Usually this was either formal university training or being mentored by a professional who knew what they were doing.   I g
Clay Anderson Johnson

Clay Anderson Johnson in Career

2
Career

Branding

Why do people become successful?   Science says only 8% of people achieve their goal according to Inc.com.  However Woody Allen said 80% of success is just showing up.  Putting yourself in the public eye is crucial.   I got a tiny part in a very bad Hollywood movie although I am not an actor.  I did it for self promotion.  A friend told me about an audition for a part which was a musician.  I was tall and thin with hair below my shoulders so I looked the part and got the part
Clay Anderson Johnson

Clay Anderson Johnson in Career

0

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