The Manager’s Corner- June 2014

by Chris Daniels

Even though I’ve managed my own band for 30 years, I’m in the Colorado Music Hall of Fame and I’ve produced more than 20 albums, the business of music is changing at light-speed. It takes working harder than ever to break through all the noise. Success is still built on some tried and true elements: great music & performance, really hard work and the luck of timing. The book I wrote for my classes at CU Denver on artist management is called DIY: You’re Not in it Alone. In the 21^st Century you are ultimately responsible for your career, but there is a lot of help out there you can tap into.

Joni Mitchell sang, “…stoking the star maker machinery behind the popular song.” That probably said it better than any other phrase. At the root of the music business is the song. Without “Ho Hey,” The Lumineers are just a really good Americana band. Without “To Save A Life,” The Fray are just one of many piano orientated rock bands and the Flobots are just another great hip hop orientated live band without “Handlebars.”

Not all careers are based on the strength of the songwriting in the project. Bonnie Raitt, Michael Buble, Britney Spears and a whole host of others have ridden to stardom on the songwriting of others. But for each it was the strength of the tunes they covered that propelled their careers. The Swedish born Max Martin was the power behind a number of Back Street Boys hits and the iconic “Oops I Did It Again.”

And yes, there are any number of artists, from the Grateful Dead to Pretty Lights to Phish, who’s “top 10 chart hits” can be counted on one hand or are nonexistent. They have had huge careers without that elusive radio hit but their success WAS driven by the power of their music. And some, like Macklemore & Ryan Lewis built a remarkable independent following and then found that one song that was a ‘break out hit’ – this year they won two Grammys for “Thrift Shop.”

So, what can a manager (or a DIY artist who is self-managed) do to promote the best quality work and the greatest quantity of usable songs? There are several rules or practices that songwriting courses and songwriting books tend to promote. I break them down into four specific guidelines that seem to work for me, and songwriters I know and respect. They are (1) know and respect your process (2) unplug from interruptions (3) store and catalogue ideas (4) never stop studying the craft.

First, every songwriter or EDM track producer or film/TV score writer I’ve ever met has a ‘personal process’ that works best for their maximum output of the best material. Some, like John Hiatt, Russell Smith, Tommy Wiggins and others seem to write everyday of the week. They are constantly working on lyrics, chords, ideas and concepts. Others like Bill Payne (Little Feat), David Bromberg and many more collect ideas, lyric snippets, guitar riffs, drum beats etc. for weeks, months and even years until the right circumstances bring it all forward. The sources may be a break up with a lover or a long road trip…it doesn’t matter. The point I want to drive home is that every songwriter I’ve ever met has a process and when they respect that, develop it and nurture it they produce their best work.

Second, I would guess that there are some who can stay in the middle of their multi-tasking life and write, but I haven’t met them yet. The successful songwriter needs a place where the cellphone can’t reach them, the kids and spouse are gone and there will be no interruptions for a period of at least an hour or more. Some have a ‘man cave’ studio, others a cabin in the hills or just a bedroom door and garage band loops. I don’t care where it is or how you make it happen, unplug in the way that nurtures your writing. Do it as often as you can … even if the idea is shit when you listen to it later … there may be one part of the lick or lyric or groove that you end up using in another tune later. And that brings me to my third point.

Third, capture the ideas and store them. That sounds easy and like a no-brainer but I can honestly say that I have forgotten more good ideas than I have actual completed songs registered with my PRO. And some of those were really good ideas if I could only remember what the heck they were. Your cellphone, your garage band, your Pro Tools rig on your tablet, your pencil and bar napkin  – whatever is your fastest and best method of capturing ALL your ideas …finished and unfinished… are your most powerful gift to your development as a songwriter. This is your ‘bank’ where ideas that may seem stupid will come out two years later as the exact right lyric or lick that is needed. Some people have to produce those tracks in full, others get them down as basic scratch tracks. My goal, whenever I write something is to capture at least some kind of minimal performance of the song so I can listen to it back later and develop it further. I encourage you to find a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) or program that you can use without having to spend a ton of time programming. Whether it is Ableton or Digital Performer, Garage Band, or Pro Tools … make it so the technology is secondary to your creative process. Once you have that system, make sure that you find ways to save and catalogue the ideas. It can be a file folder on your desktop, SoundCloud or your hard drive.  Back it up. Remember what Todd Rundgren said, (or is purported to have said) “digital data doesn’t exist at all unless it exists in at least three places!”

Last but not least, study the craft. Whether you take a poetry class, a beats writing seminar or you just learn how tunes are put together.  Taking apart favorite tunes that are great … learn the mechanics of great song writing. Some of this is silly and funny. I strongly recommend you watch the Axes of Awesome’s   YouTube song on the 4-chords that make up about 90% of our current hit songs. BUT DO MORE!

(see (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pidokakU4I) YouTube is an amazing tool for studying song craft. Over the past three weeks I have spent time learning the exact guitar riffs for songs as varied as James Taylor’s “Secret of Life” and the banjo parts for John Hartford’s “Gentle On My Mind.” I’ve also found videos for new Prince songs, great explanations of how to expand my loop writing and a few more gems that are kicking my butt when it comes to songwriting.

And here is the little golden truth behind all this … nobody writes like you. Even if you set out to write an exact copy of a great tune … you are going to sound different. So anything you can do to shake up your world is crucial to your craft. Learn how others constructed their hit songs and staring your own.

Tags: Chris Daniels, flobots, the fray, phish, the lumineers, pretty lights, the manager's corner, promotion, John Hartford, band advice, advice for musicians

Category: Shop Talk