Defining myself as an artist-producer (analysis)

Anneli, , , , , ,

Generally speaking, there are several types of producers, but as I have primarily always thought of myself as a musician and a songwriter, my goal is to define myself as an artist-producer, “the musical creator whose impulse is to create records” (Eisenberg, 1987, 128). Due to there being no clear distinction between the musical and production skillset when it comes to creators of this category, both aspects need to be analyzed within the framework of my career plan.

I write music both electronically (mainly using loops, a MIDI keyboard and GarageBand) and acoustically (using an electro-acoustic guitar, which I have been playing for less than six months). In 2014, I recorded my first two electronic songs in Australia[1]. During the last 3 months I changed my name to Annely Black, created a logo for myself and uploaded 5 original acoustic songs to Youtube[2] – my first guitar-written pieces, that I had had recorded in America this summer.

Furthermore, I studied classical singing in Estonia for 8 years and completed Complete Vocal Academy in the Complete Vocal Institute of Denmark[3]. I also write lyrics and practice performing regularly at festivals, music halls, school events, cafes, bars, open mic nights[4].

All in all, my microphone and vocal technique is at a good standard, but I am hindered by my novice standard guitar playing skills. I have access to Pro Tools as well as recording, editing and mixing equipment, but my production skillset is relatively limited as well. In order to develop as an artist-producer, it is most vital for me to improve my guitar playing and production skills and to start integrating into the music scene more in general.

When it comes to my vision for future, I aim to:

1) Develop my abilities of fusing electronic and acoustic means of music production in order to become a “one-woman-band” by:

– using loops (I recently purchased a database of 3000 royalty free loops) and MIDI instruments (I own a miniature MIDI keyboard).

– adding texture/effects/beats/extra sounds to my tracks using music production software.

– going to regular guitar lessons and becoming a more advanced guitarist.

– learning to use a loop pedal.

2) Learn the fundamentals of Pro Tools and gain the knowledge of how to best record a guitar and vocals in a studio environment, so as to reduce the costs of hiring professionals to polish my music by:

– recognizing talented engineers.

– doing a basic editing, mixing and mastering of some of my own tracks.

– having an understanding of the available production settings and technology and therefore being able to choose the most fitting options for myself.

– navigating around a studio with confidence and awareness, making the recording process smoother and faster.

3) Build a fan base as an artist-producer by:

– Filming a 30-episode video blog about musicianship[5] (relevant topics to all aspiring musicians and music fans), to generate a community of like-minded people and to get people to interact with me, since “music distribution as a whole has become an ongoing conversation between music lovers” (Dubber et al., 2013).

– following a regular practice schedule and performing at various events (Zing café, Open Mic nights, Project Plus Space, Trunchonbury Festival).

– creating a signature style and emphasizing the “IT” factor at all times. People don’t get an impression of you, they get the impression from the image you project (Battaglia, 2005).

– networking and collaborating with people (for example: sharing ideas, co-writing vocal parts/lyrics and being the singer in the EP-s of Chris Norvill and George Learmonth).

– having some professional photos taken and promoting myself and my music online (YouTube, Facebook, SoundCloud, Twitter, StarNow, Encore, Fandalism).

– sending my songs to local radio stations (BBC Radio and Siren FM in England, Elmar in Estonia), once I have created radio edit versions.

By and large, the only way to gain recognition is to give your music a chance to be heard by making it available to people, but to also earn money from it, it is necessary to connect and cultivate relationships (if people buy you, they buy what you are selling).

According to Matthew, social media platforms and digitization have reduced the production and distribution costs and enable independent artists to find audience easily, but at the same time, the issue of piracy has increased, making it harder to generate income afforded by copyright (2013, 12). To make the best of available opportunities, I will become a member of The Performing Rights Society[6] and concentrate on creating a consistent fan base (quality over quantity, since, according to the Pareto Principle[7], up to 20% of music fans provide up to 80% of financial returns). Besides communicating with people at concerts and social networks, I am also going to contemplate creating a website with WIX (once my set list and guitar playing enable giving a full concert); painting “Annely Black” on my guitar; giving away business cards or free guitar picks with my logo (1000 customized guitar picks cost around 100£) as an advertisement strategy.

Overall, the main challenges that artist-producers face in the 21st century music industry could be summarized as follows:

  • The expectancy of a huge fan base size

– covering a wide network of media outlets can be a time-consuming process

–  record labels, managers and agents generally monitor the artist’s fan base size online and only agree to work with musicians who have already established themselves within their niece and audience.

  • Difficulty generating an income

-streaming has become more popular than becoming an owner of musical content, but it takes a large volume of streamers to make the same money as with record sales, which leads to most musicians having to commercialize their creation in hopes of appealing to the masses.

– musicians need to continuously come up with alternative and innovative ideas (For example: crowdfunding, pay-what-you want campaigns, merchandise sales) to get funds.

  • Do-It-Yourself mentality requires multiple skills, a lot of time and effort.
  • Lack of privacy and a rising pressure to constantly project the public image.
  • Capturing the attention of people is what artists are supposed to do, but because of all the social media, it is no longer enough to perform like a superstar and then to retreat to a modest daily routine. Successful artists, even if their real selves are rather introverted, are expected to become public figures and to have an ongoing communication with their fans. It could even be said that silence is the rarest of commodities in the digital era (Miller, 2008, 2) and the strain on the mental state of musicians is greater than ever.
  • Increased competition (now almost anyone can have access to free production tools, such as like GarageBand, and compose with ease) and the resulting need to constantly develop to stay ahead in the game.
  • Maintaining self-belief: “unwavering belief that their music must be heard is the only thing that can sustain artists through the inevitable prevails that they confront” (Loyola University, 2011).
  • Protecting the intellectual property: legal systems concerning copyright laws are complex and often inconclusive. If your contracts aren’t right, you never get your share, regardless of your talent, planning, preparation, hard work, and burning desire (Harris and Farrar
  • , 1978, 187).

 

Having understood that music is a business, I am concentrating on learning about business and communication models and promotion techniques as well as the music industry itself. Attending weekly life-coaching sessions with Brandon Loveless help me to stay motivated and goal-orientated. Furthermore, I continuously develop my strategies and mindset on a daily basis by reading helpful books (for example, “Millionaire Mindset” by T. Harv Eker, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie, “The 4-hour Work Week” by Timothy Ferriss, “The Musician’s Way” by Gerald Klickstein); watching music and business related videos, motivational material and interviews with musicians and producers who inspire me.

The best example of a producer with a similar vision to my own is probably Beyoncé, who, besides foremost being a singer-songwriter, founded her own label[8] in 2007 and became her own executive producer and manager. Even though she frequently collaborates with other producers, she is the one with the vision and knowledge of how to best get the results she envisions. Her autobiographical movie (Beyoncé, 2013) reveals the importance of working hard, constantly progressing and always competing with yourself (rather than others), trusting your abilities, being humble and continuing to create. All these values resonate strongly with me and I am consciously working on developing my identity as a creator.

Another artist-producer whose musical journey inspires me, is Example (Elliot John Gleave), who went from having limited knowledge about the music industry and not being able to play instruments properly to one of the UK’s biggest live acts thanks to creating his own formula of universal success after figuring out how to look and sound like and what to write about: “get a title, and then work backwards from that” (Fitzpatrick, 2011). This is a tip I can use in my creation process as well.

In addition to developing my skills both as an artist and a producer and figuring out what my artistic image and music is about, before successfully promoting my music, I need to be able to answer to WHY, HOW and WHAT I market, since “people don’t buy what you do, but why you do it” (TED x Puget Sound), 2009):

  • As for why I want to create and share my musical content: regardless of how many social networks are created, there is so much loneliness in the real world and deep down, so many young people feel like nobody truly understands them and that they don’t fit in. I want these people to feel like they have found a friend in me through my music.
  • It can be done only by becoming better and better at songwriting, practicing, performing, recording, producing and promoting my songs.
  • As a starting point, I will combine my skills and find other musicians/producers to collaborate with, so as to create an industry-standard 2-piece music portfolio, that enables me to develop my musicianship (best way to grow is to take action and learn on the go) and to feel confident about sharing the resulted material with the world.

For this project, I am going to produce a 2-piece portfolio of music:

  • Create a brand new original acoustic song by:
  • Writing the lyrics in Estonian, based on my Grandfather’s poetry book “Pigilind” (published in Tartu, 2015).
  • Creating a basic drum track in Pro Tools and singing the lyrics to it.
  • Finding a fitting melody on the guitar by trying out different ideas on top of the drum track.
  • Arranging a recording session with someone to assist me with the process in the studio.
  • Recording the guitar and vocal part.
  • Mixing and mastering the tracks individually, producing the song.

 

  • Take one of my preciously recorded songs to the next level by:
  • Adding MIDI instruments, texture, beats and effects to it.
  • Creating a shorter, radio edit version (approximately 3,5 minutes long).

 

My success in the context of this portfolio can be measured by:

  • How consistently I create and market a signature style and sound (Is my content unique and authentic?).
  • How accurately I follow the industry guidelines for promoting and sharing my music in the largest social media networks (Can I cover and maintain active in at least 5 main online communication sites?).
  • How effective illustrations and visual effects I can contribute towards this project (Is my artwork – photos, logo and themes – appealing to the audience? Are my outfits on the stage and on the photographs aligned with the style of my music?).
  • How steadily I increase the number of my music fans and followers (Am I able to keep up regular communication with them? Am I able to grow my fan base on a weekly basis?). Going from 0 to 100 could already be considered a 100% improvement when it comes to growing my fan base.

My current social media statistics:

Twitter – 2 followers[9]

Facebook – 88 page likes[10]

StarNow – 1875 profile views[11]

YouTube – 23 subscribers[12]

Fandalism – 4 props[13]

SoundCloud – 10 followers[14]

 

  • How good a standard the project will be at (Is the overall clarity and the balance between vocals and the instruments good enough to be aired in local radio stations?).
  • How positive the feedback is (Am I receiving sincerely positive and encouraging comments from live audience, tutors, industry professionals, online followers, fellow musicians and music fans?).
  • How confident I feel about my music and abilities (as confidence and believing in yourself and your value are the basis for all successes) after completing this project compared to prior starting it.
  • How well I am able to communicate with people when promoting and performing this material (Am I creating a feeling of rapport and making people want to find out more about me and my music? Am I actively encouraging people to check out my social media pages and content?)
  • How much meaning (making meaning equals making art in my opinion) I am able to create within this portfolio (Does this project generate emotional responses from people, including myself?).
  • How effectively I am able to define the identity of Annely Black, the artist (Am I able to figure out who my public persona is and to step up to be confident rather than shy and introverted as in real life?). 

References:

Anderton, C., Dubber, A., and Martin, J. (2013) Understanding the music industries, London, United Kingdom: Sage.

Battaglia, J. (2015) Re-thinking your image: creating a signature style. Music Biz Academy Digest, 10(7)1. Available from http://www.musicbizacademy.com/articles/jb_image.htm [accessed 22 November 2016].

Eisenberg, E. (1987) The recording angel: music, records and culture from Aristotle to Zappa. Yale: Yale University Press

Fitzpatrick, R. (2011) Example: ‘I have a formula now’. The Guardian, 30 June. Available from https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/30/example-uk-bass [accessed 22 November 2016].

Harris, H. and Farrar, L. (1978) How to make money in music: a guidebook for success in today’s music business. New York: Arco Publishing Company.

Knowles-Carter, B. (dir.) (2013) Life is but a dream [DVD]. Parkwood Entertainment.

Loyola University (2011) Professor of music business: George Howard. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=653jnRr_21M&t=95s [accessed 28 November 2016].

Matthew, P. S. (2013) Case study: impact of music digitization on music industry in the recent times. International Journal of Management and Social Sciences Research, 2(9) 12-13.

Miller, D. P. (2008) Sound Unbound. London: The MIT Press.

Ted x Puget Sound (2009) Guest speaker: Simon Sinek. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA&t=6s [accessed 22 November 2016].

[1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilt9_jga8Tw (“I Miss You” by Annely Black)

[2]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IOWmo7Ew7Q&list=PLI7VfbCY_SXIu514aGut_wA7bNj2W7EdF (Original music by Annely Black)[3] CVI is an educational institution that uses a teaching method called Complete Vocal Technique.

[4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMqCz3-NhAY&list=PLI7VfbCY_SXIyRxjH6utI9CN9Pl8ceDD7 (Annely Black live)

[5]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWGVjVuPK2g&list=PLI7VfbCY_SXI4uUCxVejkTZzMaKG9rv8s (How to Be a Successful Musician by Annely Black)

[6] PRS collects royalties on the artists’ behalf whenever their music is played or performed publicly.

[7] The Pareto principle (also known as the 80/20 rule) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.

[8] Parkwood Entertainment is an American entertainment and management company and its involvements include products for music production, motion pictures and television specials related to Beyoncé.

[9] https://twitter.com/AnnelyBlackUK

[10] https://www.facebook.com/annelyblack/

[11] https://www.starnow.co.uk/anglowelf

[12] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ6_xsw1XqiaqWLasO2ocyw

[13] http://fandalism.com/annelyblack

[14] https://soundcloud.com/annely-black

 

 

Defining myself as an artist-producer (analysis)

Presentation and Performance (summary)

Anneli, , ,

On Wednesday, 5th of October, I performed my original song “Childhood Glow” (duration close to 6 minutes) in front of the second year Bachelor of Music degree performance undergraduates, the Performance & Musicianship module tutor and a visiting musician Stef Conner (singer, pianist, composer, academic).

The performance, which formed an illustrative part of my presentation about my musicianship (covering topics such as like past experiences, current level, vision for future, practice schedule, style), took place in the Platform Bar.  I sang and played my electro-acoustic guitar. In total, my presentation and performance took approximately 15 minutes.

Presentation and Performance (summary)

Recording Session in USA (summary and analysis)

Anneli, , , , , , , , ,

In August 2016 I recorded 5 of my original songs (acoustic tracks only including guitar and vocals) in PRR-Time Studio in Long Island, New York (Black, 2016). For this project, I had hired a guitarist and 2 sound engineers. The studio rate was 300 $ for 6 hours including recording time, mastering, mixing and editing). I had only had a single one-hour practice session with the guitarist the previous week (I had found him at the last moment to replace the guitar player who was supposed to be recording the guitar parts in United Kingdom and send them over to me for studio usage, but got caught up in family affairs), so the outcome was bound to be rather improvisational.

Firstly, the guitarist played about 3 takes of each song to the click track. He was very professional, punctual and added some nice touches and stylistic impressions to the notes of my songs, so I was very happy with his input in general.

Secondly, we chose the best recordings and edited some of the tempos of the songs as I had dictated the click track tempos to him before the session, but not accurately (I used the metronome to try to figure out the best speed, but as this was my first time ever using such a method and did not have my guitar with me in America, I was unable predict what the guitar part would sound like by just singing to them).

Thirdly, after the guitarist left, it was my turn to sing. I tried to start off with “Please, Stay, My Love”, but kept over-pushing my voice, so I decided to try something a little bit less emotionally difficult to sing until I would relax enough to sing this first song I had ever written on a guitar. “If I Don’t Know Everything”, “Childhood Glow” and “Back to the Past” were done in 3 takes for each and I felt quite confident and started to enjoy the process. My only dilemma was to figure out how much I should improvise, as I like to go with the flow of the emotion, but at the same time the song structure needed to remain recognizable and easy to remember since “pop songs balance repetition and new musical ideas” (Simms, 2015).

Eventually I just trusted my instincts and added a few changes here and there that sounded fitting. Especially “If I Don’t Know Everything” suddenly lighted up thanks to some higher notes I added to the chorus and “Back to the Past” had a whole new texture and mood to it thanks to the guitarist having added some Spanish guitar strumming patterns to it (his own favorite style), whereas originally it had been a song rooted in rock music.

After finishing these three and listening to them back on the big speakers in the editing room, we tried to record “Come on, Rain” – vocally the most challenging one out of these five as well, but I was struggling to reach the highest note in the chorus.

To fix this, I did a 5-minute warm-up for my voice, while the engineers worked on the tracks. I tried my best to let go of all the tension in my body, as this song was not only the first one I had ever written in GarageBand, it had a very special meaning to myself as well, which again, made me strain my voice by trying too hard.

Following this short break, I started to sing with a smile on my face whenever there was a hard part, which helped to record the song. We ended with recording “Please, Stay, My Love” in which I tried to maintain soft, talkative manner of singing with not too much creaking effect on it.

Last, but not least, we chose the best versions of each song and then the sound engineers edited them as best as they could in the last remaining hour. Overall, I was happy with the result taking into account that this was my first recording session with my own acoustic songs and a hired guitarist.  On a negative note, as I was paying per hour, the whole process was a little rushed and the mixing and mastering was done using the same settings on all the tracks rather than on individual guitar and vocal parts. This meant that the uniqueness of the sound colours was not amplified by the production and the tracks were only polished to a smooth-and-even-sounding standard. Also, a few wrong guitar notes remained in the recording as well as parts where I could have done a better job with the singing if I had had the proper time to listen to the whole recordings between the takes.

As a conclusion, I would say that whenever possible, the more studio time there is, the better results can be achieved. Also, the bigger the budget, the better sound engineers and producers can be hired, but based on my experience calling various recording studios around Long Island, smaller scale studios tend to often work harder (as they are trying to build a client base and a great reputation) and treat the customers nicer (the sound engineers in this studio were a delight to work with: very polite, friendly and accommodating). This session was a good value for money in my opinion and this experience was very useful to my musicianship in more ways than just providing me with material to promote myself with, it taught me the skills of co-working with other music industry professionals and self-evaluate and to take responsibility over my own results.

References:

Annely Black (2016) Come on rain [download]. 5 minutes 23 seconds. Childhood Glow. New York: PRR Recording Studio. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IOWmo7Ew7Q&list=PLI7VfbCY_SXIu514aGut_wA7bNj2W7EdF [accessed 21 December 2016].

Sara Simms (2015) 8 Tips for Writing Pop Songs [blog]. 21 August. Available from https://ask.audio/articles/8-tips-for-writing-pop-songs [accessed 21 December 2016].

Recording Session in USA (summary and analysis)

Milestones

Anneli, , , , , ,

When it comes to my artistic vision and skillset, it has been a continuous journey of development and self-discovery. Due to having very contrasting musical influences, I have always struggled to find the balance between classical and pop music (I have had training in both). It was only a year ago that I finally had all the experiences and skills needed to combine these two styles smoothly and to define my style and identity as a singer-songwriter. The following milestones have had the most significant influence on my tradition of practice, songwriting and performing:

Firstly, I studied classical singing in Estonia for 8 years. My vocal tutor, Sirje Vasmann-Perend, played a significant role in how I perceive music (I share her high standards and passionate approach) and enabled me to develop a wide vocal range (B2- F#5) thanks to the classical singing exercises. She also took my microphone technique to a good standard, taught me to captivate the audience (having a confident body-language and never letting it show if mistakes occur as well as an emphasis on lyrics and emotions being the core of a memorable performance) and to pay attention to my outfit selection (her advice was to always look your best when performing, because if voice fails then at least the looks impresses).

Despite regularly applying the rigorous standards and vocal technique of classical music, my repertoire mainly consisted of pop music. According to my tutor, I was a “microphone singer”( Microphone singer (in this context) –  someone who’s vocal technique requires amplification and microphone to best display all the nuances of the voice) and I never got to perform classical songs. This classification, as harsh-sounding as it was (it certainly made me less confident without a microphone), is generally valid due to my:

  • Tendency to use very fine vocal ornamentations and an emotional singing style (which is a preference and not actually a negative factor).
  • Periodic illnesses and vocal problems that disable me from having the continuous stamina and strict practice schedule necessary for classical singing at a good standard.
  • Difficulties transitioning between head and chest voice with even volumes and support levels.

On one hand, I gained a solid basis for my vocal skills, but on the other hand, I developed a lot of constrictions (classical singing requires a lot of core strength and is “hard work” as your voice should naturally project itself in large venues, whereas having too a rigid posture and breathing hinders singing most pop music) and my creativity felt constricted as well (I was never encouraged to improvise or to have tools to write my own music), since excellence was seen as following all the notations of compositions perfectly, rather than having your own take on the song.

Secondly, having the inner drive to develop my skills as a pop singer, I attended Complete Vocal Academy in the Complete Vocal Institute of Denmark (CVI is an educational institution that uses a teaching method called Complete Vocal Technique). During my studies there, I started to experiment with different music styles and to write songs electronically (using GarageBand). I started to consciously practice vocal effects, improvisation and other vocal modes besides neutral (head voice) as well as learned to relax and enjoy myself more when practicing and performing.  I also learned to separate between the technique, support levels and characteristics of four vocal modes: neutral, curbing, overdrive and edge (Sadolin, 2012, 81).

Consequently, learning to produce voice healthily and evenly made my voice much more powerful and I could sing for long intervals at a time. However, this also resulted in all the vocal breaks, vibrato, creaking and other effects becoming pre-meditated and calculated rather than naturally occurring due to emotions, which unfortunately took away a certain degree of excitement and depth from singing for me.

Thirdly, I learned to play the guitar when I started to study Bachelor of Music degree in the University of Lincoln the previous year. That finally gave me the opportunity to write my own songs and to develop my own style, rather than sing someone else’s songs. However, I am still hindered by my guitar playing skills, as I only practice for about an hour a week, which by no means is enough to become an adept guitarist.

I am currently combining the best of both classical and pop music practice, when it comes to singing (my practice schedule consists of classical vocal exercises followed by a classical song, then pop repertoire) and I am attending weekly guitar lessons to become a better guitarist and a songwriter. In the next 4 months, I am planning to sing a classical song at a concert (“Ave Maria” by Franz Schubert) and to write two more pop songs on the guitar.

References:

Sadolin, K. (2012) Complete vocal technique. Copenhagen: Shout Publications.

Milestones

Session with Tony Platt (summary)

Anneli, , ,

On Thursday 17th of November, Tony Platt (link) gave a lecture to the music students of the University of Lincoln in the Studio 3. He spoke about his experiences as a producer and the inventive ways in which he had found solutions to problems occurring prior, during and after recording sessions. His viewpoint  could be summarised as: solutions often present themselves once you start to look at situations as challenges rather than problems – tony Robbins link)

Following his presentation, I had a great opportunity to have an individual 20 minute time slot with him to get some feedback and insights, during which I played him my latest creation “Pretty Sun Hurts” (a song which I had written approximately 3 weeks prior to this session and which I was eventually planning to perform at the final show of the semester).

Following my song (which was approximately 4 minutes and 30 seconds long), he analysed my performance and songwriting skills and gave me advice regarding my musicianship and style.

 

Session with Tony Platt (summary)