NYC-based independent music supervisor Joseph Miller is looking to collaborate with songwriters, film scorers, and composers who are interested in film/TV/web placement opportunities!
If you are interested, email kmill@berklee.net for more information. This is a wonderful opportunity to get your songs heard! He also offers services as a consultant, manager, or agent for breaking into licensing and placement for media."
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Rethink Music Competition Winners NuevoStage!
We were contacted by NuevoStage, a very exciting new website for musicians, with a way to possibly get to play in one of their concerts! Here's what they had to say:
nuevoStage + Berklee = Stage Space for you!
Berklee Songwriters!
We'd like to extend our first official outreach email to you! Hello, we're nuevoStage, and with a bit of help from you, we believe this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
If you haven't heard, we're the winners of the rethink music competition. We're a bit like Kickstarter for concerts. We log empty stage space, let you list potential shows, and then let fans pledge to buy tickets. Once enough of your fans pledge, you get a guaranteed contract. Basically, if you have the fans, you have the stage. We think, and hope you agree, that this will help young talent like yourself develop a track record of success faster than ever.
In the coming months, we're hoping to launch a concert series to promote the idea and prove it has value. We're currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funding for this idea (see here http://kck.st/qkxdVH). If you think we're on the right track, we'd appreciate your tweeting, blogging, or emailing your fans about the campaign. Any help makes a huge difference - even a $1 contribution bumps up our ranking on Kickstarter. Also, we'll need artists to take that stage space. So if you're interested in playing, please also sign up for our mailing list at www.nuevostage.com.
If nothing else, it would be wildly helpful if you could simply go to the Kickstarter page and "Like" us. Apparently Facebook likes drive placement throughout the site!
Hope you're enjoying your summers,
Max & Chris
P.S. The full link to Kickstarter can be found here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/maxwellelliot/stages-for-the-ages-emerging-artist-concert-series.
nuevoStage + Berklee = Stage Space for you!
Berklee Songwriters!
We'd like to extend our first official outreach email to you! Hello, we're nuevoStage, and with a bit of help from you, we believe this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
If you haven't heard, we're the winners of the rethink music competition. We're a bit like Kickstarter for concerts. We log empty stage space, let you list potential shows, and then let fans pledge to buy tickets. Once enough of your fans pledge, you get a guaranteed contract. Basically, if you have the fans, you have the stage. We think, and hope you agree, that this will help young talent like yourself develop a track record of success faster than ever.
In the coming months, we're hoping to launch a concert series to promote the idea and prove it has value. We're currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funding for this idea (see here http://kck.st/qkxdVH). If you think we're on the right track, we'd appreciate your tweeting, blogging, or emailing your fans about the campaign. Any help makes a huge difference - even a $1 contribution bumps up our ranking on Kickstarter. Also, we'll need artists to take that stage space. So if you're interested in playing, please also sign up for our mailing list at www.nuevostage.com.
If nothing else, it would be wildly helpful if you could simply go to the Kickstarter page and "Like" us. Apparently Facebook likes drive placement throughout the site!
Hope you're enjoying your summers,
Max & Chris
P.S. The full link to Kickstarter can be found here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/maxwellelliot/stages-for-the-ages-emerging-artist-concert-series.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Berklee Gems: Women Raising Awareness & Responsibility in Entertainment
Berklee is making a great effort to create more support for its female students! We have entitled these efforts:
Berklee Gems: Women Raising Awareness & Responsibility in Entertainment.
Upcoming programming will include lunches featuring various women in the music and business industry, a mentoring programming that will connect an alumna with a Berklee student or new alumni for a year, various social events/gatherings, etc. These programming efforts will occur in all of our main alumni areas (Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Nashville and Atlanta to name a few).
To kick things off, we'd like to extend an invitation to the Berklee females to join us for lunch with alumna Annie Clements '03, bassist and backing vocalists for grammy award winning Sugarland on Thursday, July 21st from 1:00 - 3:00pm. Female students and alumni will come together, have a bite to eat and discuss ways in which we can offer solutions to some of the challenges currently experienced by female students and alumna.
I hope you can join us! Submit your RSVP to alumniaffairs@berklee.edu.
Berklee Gems: Women Raising Awareness & Responsibility in Entertainment.
Upcoming programming will include lunches featuring various women in the music and business industry, a mentoring programming that will connect an alumna with a Berklee student or new alumni for a year, various social events/gatherings, etc. These programming efforts will occur in all of our main alumni areas (Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Nashville and Atlanta to name a few).
To kick things off, we'd like to extend an invitation to the Berklee females to join us for lunch with alumna Annie Clements '03, bassist and backing vocalists for grammy award winning Sugarland on Thursday, July 21st from 1:00 - 3:00pm. Female students and alumni will come together, have a bite to eat and discuss ways in which we can offer solutions to some of the challenges currently experienced by female students and alumna.
I hope you can join us! Submit your RSVP to alumniaffairs@berklee.edu.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Straight From Nashville! Learn From Songwriter Gregory Becker!!
Gregory Becker is coming to Berklee to lecture and host a song critique session and YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS IT. A little about Gregory:
Gregory Becker is primarily known as a lyricist and top-line melody writer. He grew up in Boston, MA and began his musical career playing piano at the age of 5 and later playing drums and guitar in bands around Boston. He then focused his talents on writing and studied lyric development and commercial arrangement at the Berklee School of Music. Gregory moved to Nashville in 1995 and worked as a song plugger on Nashville’s legendary music row for several years while continuing to write. After having several major label cuts on songs he wrote and pitched by himself, Gregory left song plugging to begin his first publishing deal with Warner Chapell Music. Gregory is currently signed with BMG Rights and his songs have sold more than 20 million units worldwide and have been recorded by such acts as Meatloaf, Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, and Rascal Flatts. He works with producers, artists and writers of various genres in Stockholm, London and Los Angeles while residing in Nashville, TN.
This is a great opportunity to hear critiques from someone who knows the business first-hand!
Lecture:
When: Thursday, July 14th @ 11 am
Where: 150 Mass. Ave room 122
Songwriting Master Class:
When: Thursday, July 14th 7-9 pm
Where: 921 Boylston St room 511
Gregory Becker is primarily known as a lyricist and top-line melody writer. He grew up in Boston, MA and began his musical career playing piano at the age of 5 and later playing drums and guitar in bands around Boston. He then focused his talents on writing and studied lyric development and commercial arrangement at the Berklee School of Music. Gregory moved to Nashville in 1995 and worked as a song plugger on Nashville’s legendary music row for several years while continuing to write. After having several major label cuts on songs he wrote and pitched by himself, Gregory left song plugging to begin his first publishing deal with Warner Chapell Music. Gregory is currently signed with BMG Rights and his songs have sold more than 20 million units worldwide and have been recorded by such acts as Meatloaf, Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, and Rascal Flatts. He works with producers, artists and writers of various genres in Stockholm, London and Los Angeles while residing in Nashville, TN.
This is a great opportunity to hear critiques from someone who knows the business first-hand!
Lecture:
When: Thursday, July 14th @ 11 am
Where: 150 Mass. Ave room 122
Songwriting Master Class:
When: Thursday, July 14th 7-9 pm
Where: 921 Boylston St room 511
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The Britney Story...
How to write a hit record without really writing a hit record.
Jeff Fenster looked at myself and Jack Perricone and said "Gentlemen, the floor is yours."
This is easily the second best thing to hear from the head of A&R at Jive Records. The first best, of course, being "This is AMAZING. Can we use it as the single on Britney's new record?
This is easily the second best thing to hear from the head of A&R at Jive Records. The first best, of course, being "This is AMAZING. Can we use it as the single on Britney's new record?
""Well," I said, "Theresa has put one of my songs on hold for the Britney album. It's been a few weeks and I just wanted to know where it's at?
""Of course. I'll grab the latest status update." Jeff calmly flips through a few papers, and offhandedly asks me the name of the track.
"Oh, our tune is called Criminal," I reply.
Jeff stops looking for papers, and turns at me with a knowing smile on his face and says "Well, I can already tell you the title is going to be a problem."
In the .5 seconds of silence before he spoke again, my mind raced to fill in every possible reason why the goddamned TITLE of our song could cause a problem. Is britney going for a "goodie-two shoes" image? Is it a concept album where all of the songs start with the letter "B"? Just as quickly as I thought of reasons, I started formulating counter-defenses.
Jeff opened his mouth again, stopping both my heartbeat, and my thought process: "Well, you see, there's another song that is going to be on the album titled 'In Love with a Criminal' and of course--."
Really? REALLY, Jeff Fenster? We're going to lose out on a Britney cut because someone else used a similar title?
My brain started to think that maybe, just maybe, there was a little itsy bitsy chance that "In Love With a Criminal" was JUST far enough away from "Criminal" that we could still have the cut.
"Well," I ask, "While you're still looking for the list. Would you mind at least taking a listen to the tune?"
We pop in the CD, he blares it louder than I do in my studio, is bobbing his head the entire time through and looks at me at the end of the cd and says "Yeah. It's a great tune for Britney! Oh and Here's that status sheet." Jeff looked over the latest status sheet for Britney's album and chuckled, "Ah, and look what they changed the title to!"
He slid the sheet towards me and, for a split second every cell in my body filled with the hope that the title was changed to something banal like "In Love" or "Loving a Convict" or some other horrible title in which I would find my ticket to the cut I've always wanted, or maybe the other tune would be low enough on the list that OUR criminal still had a chance.
I looked at the list and froze.
In order of preference. Jive Records' #1 PICK, by none other than Max Martin himself, who by the way started writing over 2 months AFTER we submitted our tune, has been retitled:
"Criminal"
Oh, hi there Dues. I must have forgotten to pay you.
On the bright side, it is an honor to be written off a Britney Spears record by Max Martin.
Max, as a massive fan of your work: I hope to be able to repay the favor some day.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Re-Post: Writing Country? Only hits, please...
REPOST FROM:
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/genre/country/nashville-publishers-say-a-hit-is-still-1005220782.story
Nashville songwriters may be fewer in numbers than in years past, but they can rest well knowing that hits still pay well.
"The good news is a country hit is still worth as much as it's ever been," said Jody Williams, VP, Writer/Publisher Relations, BMI Nashville, at the second annual Billboard Country Music Summit in Nashville.
And there are many opportunities for publishers to get a song into the market, added John Barker, Founder and President, ClearBox Rights, such as synchronization uses and video games. "I'm optimistic about the future because now we so many more outlets for songs to be available."
But publishers don't have it easy, either. "We've all lost a lot of income to the decline of mechanicals," said Pat Higden, president, Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville. As album sales have declined over the years, the amount of mechanical royalties publishers earn from those sales has fallen (the full mechanical rate paid to publishers is 9.1 cents per track). In fact, Higdon claimed that three years ago Universal Music Publishing lost 45% of mechanical revenue that has yet to return to the company's books.
Fewer mechanical royalties from album sales means an album cut might not recoup a publisher's investment. The result is a market that is almost completely hit-driven, said Chris Dubois, partner at Sea Gayle Music. "If you're a publisher and you're not getting singles, you're not surviving." And while Dubois agreed that digital has breathed life into mechanicals, he cautioned that mainly singles were the beneficiaries.
BMI and ASCAP are currently renegotiating their deals with radio stations, noted Williams, and the interim agreement has reduced BMI's collections of radio performance royalties by about $4 million.
Perhaps the biggest change in Nashville is the rise of the artist-songwriter. As labels seek out artists who can both perform and write songs, publishers are finding the best way to get their songs onto albums is for their songwriters to co-write with recording artists.
But it's a controversial aspect of today's artist development in Nashville. "There is a misconception with artists over the last few years that just because you have a record deal you are all of a sudden a songwriter," said Higdon. "Every artist is not a songwriter. There have always been those great artists that didn't write that just interpreted songs, and we still need those in the format."
It's just a fact of doing business in Nashville today if you want to get a song recorded, said Dubois. "The reality of it is if you're not getting cuts you're not making money then you're not going to be doing it for long. I think a big part of publishing has shifted from song-plugging to politically positioning your writers to have the best opportunity of getting cuts. That means trying to infiltrate the little camps that exist around town, around artists."
Carla Wallace, co-owner and VP Creative of Big Yellow Dog Music, takes a balanced approach to working with artists. "If it makes sense for Josh Kear to write with Lady Antebellum because musically it's a good match, then that's great."
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/genre/country/nashville-publishers-say-a-hit-is-still-1005220782.story
Nashville songwriters may be fewer in numbers than in years past, but they can rest well knowing that hits still pay well.
"The good news is a country hit is still worth as much as it's ever been," said Jody Williams, VP, Writer/Publisher Relations, BMI Nashville, at the second annual Billboard Country Music Summit in Nashville.
And there are many opportunities for publishers to get a song into the market, added John Barker, Founder and President, ClearBox Rights, such as synchronization uses and video games. "I'm optimistic about the future because now we so many more outlets for songs to be available."
But publishers don't have it easy, either. "We've all lost a lot of income to the decline of mechanicals," said Pat Higden, president, Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville. As album sales have declined over the years, the amount of mechanical royalties publishers earn from those sales has fallen (the full mechanical rate paid to publishers is 9.1 cents per track). In fact, Higdon claimed that three years ago Universal Music Publishing lost 45% of mechanical revenue that has yet to return to the company's books.
Fewer mechanical royalties from album sales means an album cut might not recoup a publisher's investment. The result is a market that is almost completely hit-driven, said Chris Dubois, partner at Sea Gayle Music. "If you're a publisher and you're not getting singles, you're not surviving." And while Dubois agreed that digital has breathed life into mechanicals, he cautioned that mainly singles were the beneficiaries.
BMI and ASCAP are currently renegotiating their deals with radio stations, noted Williams, and the interim agreement has reduced BMI's collections of radio performance royalties by about $4 million.
Perhaps the biggest change in Nashville is the rise of the artist-songwriter. As labels seek out artists who can both perform and write songs, publishers are finding the best way to get their songs onto albums is for their songwriters to co-write with recording artists.
But it's a controversial aspect of today's artist development in Nashville. "There is a misconception with artists over the last few years that just because you have a record deal you are all of a sudden a songwriter," said Higdon. "Every artist is not a songwriter. There have always been those great artists that didn't write that just interpreted songs, and we still need those in the format."
It's just a fact of doing business in Nashville today if you want to get a song recorded, said Dubois. "The reality of it is if you're not getting cuts you're not making money then you're not going to be doing it for long. I think a big part of publishing has shifted from song-plugging to politically positioning your writers to have the best opportunity of getting cuts. That means trying to infiltrate the little camps that exist around town, around artists."
Carla Wallace, co-owner and VP Creative of Big Yellow Dog Music, takes a balanced approach to working with artists. "If it makes sense for Josh Kear to write with Lady Antebellum because musically it's a good match, then that's great."
Monday, June 6, 2011
CALL FOR SONGS: Singer/Songwriter Showcase!
For the first time over the summer, Songwriters Club is putting together a Singer/Songwriter Showcase! A panel of judges will choose the BEST from the TOP song submissions from the songwriters at Berklee to perform at the end of the summer. Don't miss this opportunity!
If you would like to perform, please submit ONE ORIGINAL song in mp3 format to berkleesongsubmission@gmail.com!
Deadline is July 8th
The concert will be held in The Loft in 939 on July 26th!
If you would like to perform, please submit ONE ORIGINAL song in mp3 format to berkleesongsubmission@gmail.com!
Deadline is July 8th
The concert will be held in The Loft in 939 on July 26th!
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