A songwriter or singer about to record a demo or CD intended either to garner industry attention or for direct sale to the public needs to be cognizant of this: not all producer’s are created equal. Some producer’s do little more than manage a recording session and take whatever is given them from the musicians and the vocalist. They may do a decent mix and create a CD that sounds professional. But in my opinion that is not producing, at least in most cases. Sure, there are times when an artist has a voice and style where staying out of the way and simply capturing the magic is the right approach. But most singers, songwriters and bands, even though they may be highly talented, are not unique enough to garner a deal as-is. It’s the producer’s job to bring it out.
I’m going to toss out a few names: Dolly Parton, Neil Young, Jennifer Nettles, Louie Armstrong, Michael McDonald, Josh Turner…If you hear any of them on your radio, you instantly recognize who they are. Know this, if you can’t create that same kind of instant identity, you are not very likely to get signed to a recording contract- you’ll be one of hundreds of soundalikes vying for that same deal- and if you do get signed, your latest pair of shoes my well outlast your career.
There are hundreds of male and female singers here in Nashville who have not a dime’s worth of difference between them. A few actually release major label singles and might have a charting hit or two but then they disappear from the charts, never to be heard from again. Why? Because they failed to differentiate themselves enough to attract a fan base. Think of it this way: Your sound is a product and just like any other product, must compete in the marketplace. If a copycat of Crest Toothpaste came out that cost about the same as Crest, tasted about the same as Crest and looked about the same as Crest why would Crest users switch? They wouldn’t, people are creatures of habit. Nor will fans share or switch their loyalty to a singer that isn’t clearly different from their favorites.
To create that necessary difference a producer has to look at the entire artist and find one thing or create one thing that is unique enough to differentiate them on radio. It could be the singer’s tone or their incredible range, or maybe the way they slur certain words…it could even be the way their voice is recorded and mixed. Then the producer must find material that showcases that difference. The bottom line is that when the CD is finished the producer should have achieved a clearly defined sound that is cohesive throughout the project- a sound you can build a career on!
Bill Watson is the owner of http://www.playitagaindemos.com which is a demo service for songwriters and song publishers. He has also written magazine articles for publications as diverse as Small Business Opportunities, Entertainment Weekly and Sports Afield.
